An issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with O(8.x), P(9.0), and Q(10.0) software. The system area allows arbitrary file overwrites via a symlink attack. The Samsung ID is SVE-2020-17183 (June 2020).
Weakness
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android | 8.0 (including) | 8.0 (including) | |
| Android | 8.1 (including) | 8.1 (including) | |
| Android | 9.0 (including) | 9.0 (including) | |
| Android | 10.0 (including) | 10.0 (including) |
Potential Mitigations
- Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
- Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.
Related Attack Patterns
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/132.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/17.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/35.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/76.html