A vulnerability exists in Nokia’s ASIK AirScale system module (versions 474021A.101 and 474021A.102) that could allow an attacker to place a script on the file system accessible from Linux. A script placed in the appropriate place could allow for arbitrary code execution in the bootloader.
The product conducts a secure-boot process that transfers bootloader code from Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) into Volatile Memory (VM), but it does not have sufficient access control or other protections for the Volatile Memory.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asik_airscale_474021a.102_firmware | Nokia | - (including) | - (including) |
Adversaries could bypass the secure-boot process and execute their own untrusted, malicious boot code. As a part of a secure-boot process, the read-only-memory (ROM) code for a System-on-Chip (SoC) or other system fetches bootloader code from Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) and stores the code in Volatile Memory (VM), such as dynamic, random-access memory (DRAM) or static, random-access memory (SRAM). The NVM is usually external to the SoC, while the VM is internal to the SoC. As the code is transferred from NVM to VM, it is authenticated by the SoC’s ROM code. If the volatile-memory-region protections or access controls are insufficient to prevent modifications from an adversary or untrusted agent, the secure boot may be bypassed or replaced with the execution of an adversary’s code.