CVE-2023-32809

Vulnerability

In the Bluetooth driver of certain MediaTek chipsets, an improper access control vulnerability exists in the register interface. This allows a local attacker with System execution privileges to perform read and write operations on hardware registers. The vulnerability is identified by Patch ID ALPS07849753 and affects various MediaTek platforms as listed in the September 2023 Product Security Bulletin [1].

Exploitation

An attacker must have already obtained System execution privileges on the device. No user interaction is required. With those privileges, the attacker can directly access the vulnerable register interface to read from and write to hardware registers, bypassing intended access controls.

Impact

Successful exploitation leads to the leakage of sensitive information through register reads. Additionally, writing to registers could potentially modify device behavior, though the primary impact is information disclosure. The attacker gains access to data that should be protected, with System-level privileges already obtained.

Mitigation

MediaTek has provided patches to device OEMs as part of their September 2023 security bulletin [1]. End users should apply updates from their device manufacturer once available. No workarounds are documented. Devices that have received the patch are no longer vulnerable.