CVE-2024-34616 in Samsung
Summary
by MITRE • 08/07/2024
Improper handling of insufficient permission in KnoxDualDARPolicy prior to SMR Aug-2024 Release 1 allows local attackers to access sensitive data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-34616 represents a critical permission handling flaw within KnoxDualDARPolicy functionality in Samsung mobile devices. This issue affects systems prior to the SMR August 2024 security release, creating a persistent security weakness that local attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of permission levels during dual data access policy operations, allowing malicious actors with local system access to bypass normal security controls. Such a flaw fundamentally undermines the integrity of Samsung's security framework, particularly in environments where multiple data access policies are enforced.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the KnoxDualDARPolicy module, which manages dual data access policies for enterprise and personal data separation on Samsung devices. When insufficient permission checks are performed during policy evaluation, the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting process has adequate authorization levels to access specific data sets. This improper handling creates a privilege escalation path where local attackers can manipulate the policy enforcement mechanisms to access data that should be restricted. The flaw operates at the kernel or system-level permission management layer, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass traditional application-level security controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes organizations to significant data breach risks, particularly in enterprise environments where Samsung devices are used for corporate data handling. Local attackers with minimal privileges can exploit this weakness to access sensitive corporate information, personal user data, or confidential communications stored on the device. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple device models and security releases means that organizations cannot rely on simple patching to resolve the issue, as it affects devices running pre-August 2024 security updates. This creates a substantial risk for mobile device management programs and enterprise security protocols that depend on proper data separation mechanisms.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate mitigation strategies including mandatory device updates to the SMR August 2024 release or later, along with enhanced monitoring of local system access patterns. Organizations must also implement additional security controls such as application whitelisting, enhanced device encryption, and regular security audits to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068 for local privilege escalation. Network administrators should consider implementing mobile device management policies that restrict data access based on device security posture and enforce mandatory security updates. Additionally, security teams should establish incident response procedures specifically designed to detect and respond to potential exploitation of this permission handling flaw.