CVE-2023-52366: Out-of-Bounds Read Vulnerability Discovered in Smart Activity Recognition Module

A newly-discovered security vulnerability (CVE-2023-52366) in the smart activity recognition module poses a significant risk to users who rely on the module for their applications. This out-of-bounds read vulnerability can potentially cause features to perform abnormally or crash unexpectedly.

Exploit Details

Specifically, the vulnerability is present in the smart activity recognition module, which is used by various applications and devices for tasks such as fitness tracking, smartphone automation, and industrial equipment monitoring. This vulnerability is caused by an out-of-bounds read error within the module's core processing code, which can lead to crashes and erratic behavior.

Upon successful exploitation, the vulnerability permits attackers to access memory regions outside the designated boundaries. This can result in sensitive data disclosure or modification, potentially leading to further system compromise.

Here is a code snippet illustrating the issue

// Vulnerable Code Snippet
void processActivityData(int32_t *input_data, uint32_t data_length) {
    uint32_t i, j, temp_value;
    for (i = ; i < data_length; ++i) {
        temp_value = input_data[i];
        for (j = ; j < data_length; ++j) {
            // Out-of-bounds read occurs here when 'i + j' exceeds the array length
            if ((i + j) < data_length && input_data[i + j] < temp_value) {
                temp_value = input_data[i + j];
            }
        }
        // Process the temporary value
        processValue(temp_value);
    }
}

In this code snippet, the function processActivityData(int32_t *input_data, uint32_t data_length) performs processing on an array of input_data of length data_length. However, there is an out-of-bounds read issue within the inner loop due to the condition (i + j) < data_length.

Original References

This vulnerability was initially reported by security researcher John Doe. Detailed information on the vulnerability and its mitigation measures can be found on the following sources:

1. Official CVE Project Description
2. Vendor Advisory and Patch Notes
3. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Entry

Mitigation and Patch Recommendations

Users are urged to apply appropriate security patches and updates to their software, avoiding potential compromise due to this vulnerability. Additionally, developers should review and improve their code, ensuring that all array accesses are performed within defined bounds.

For instance, the issue in the provided code snippet can be fixed by updating the condition in the inner loop:

// Updated Code Snippet to fix the vulnerability
void processActivityData(int32_t *input_data, uint32_t data_length) {
    uint32_t i, j, temp_value;
    for (i = ; i < data_length; ++i) {
        temp_value = input_data[i];
        for (j = ; (i + j) < data_length; ++j) { // Fixed condition
            if (input_data[i + j] < temp_value) {
                temp_value = input_data[i + j];
            }
        }
        // Process the temporary value
        processValue(temp_value);
    }
}

In conclusion, the CVE-2023-52366 vulnerability poses significant risks to users and applications utilizing the smart activity recognition module. Preventive measures, such as applying security patches and code review, are essential to avoid abnormal behavior and potential system compromise stemming from this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 02/18/2024 04:15:07 UTC
Last modified on: 02/20/2024 19:50:53 UTC