Experts at the Google Android team have discovered high severity privilege escalation vulnerability in some of Honeywell Android-based handheld computers.

Security experts from the Google Android team have discovered a high severity privilege escalation vulnerability in some of Honeywell Android-based handheld computers that could be exploited by an attacker to gain elevated privileges.

According to the vendor, Honeywell handheld computers combine the advantages of consumer PDAs and high-end industrial mobile computers into a single rugged package.

The rugged devices provide enhanced connectivity, including industry standard 802.11x, Cisco compatibility, and Bluetooth, they are widely adopted in many sectors, including energy, healthcare, critical manufacturing, and commercial facilities.

The US ICS-CERT published a security advisory to warn of the vulnerability that affects several models of Honeywell Android handheld computers, including CT60, CN80, CT40, CK75, CN75, CT50, D75e, CN51, and EDA series.

The affected devices run various Android version between 4.4 and 8.1.

“A vulnerability in a system service on CT60, CN80, CT40, CK75, CN75, CT50, D75e, CN51, and EDA series mobile computers running the Android Operating System (OS) could allow a malicious third-party application to gain elevated privileges.” reads the advisory published by the US ICS-CERT.

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2018-14825, received a CVSS v3 base score of 7.6).

Customers should whitelist trusted applications to avoid malicious apps accessing the devices with high privileges.

An attacker could exploit the flaw to gain elevated privileges and unauthorized access e to sensitive information such as passwords and confidential documents.

“A skilled attacker with advanced knowledge of the target system could exploit this vulnerability by creating an application that would successfully bind to the service and gain elevated system privileges.” continues the advisory.

“This could enable the attacker to obtain access to keystrokes, passwords, personal identifiable information, photos, emails, or business-critical documents.”

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Honeywell Android-based handheld computers, hacking)

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