CVE-2022-21157 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Intel(R) Smart Campus Android application versions prior to 6.1. The root cause of this vulnerability is improper access control within the application, which allows an authenticated user with local access to potentially disclose sensitive information. Specifically, the vulnerability enables information disclosure without requiring user interaction, but it does require the attacker to have some level of privileges (authenticated user) on the device where the application is installed. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 reflects a scenario where the attacker must have local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), and privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N) is needed. The impact is limited to confidentiality (C:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild, and no patches or exploit code have been publicly disclosed. Intel Smart Campus is an Android application designed to facilitate campus-related services, likely used in educational or corporate campus environments to manage access, resources, or communications. The improper access control flaw could allow an authenticated user to access sensitive information that should otherwise be restricted, potentially exposing personal data, campus infrastructure details, or other confidential information stored or accessible via the app. Since the vulnerability requires authentication and local access, remote exploitation is not feasible without prior compromise. However, insider threats or attackers who gain physical access to a device could leverage this flaw to extract sensitive data. The lack of impact on integrity and availability means the vulnerability does not allow modification or disruption of services, but the confidentiality breach could have privacy and security implications depending on the nature of the disclosed information.

For European organizations, particularly universities, research institutions, and corporate campuses that deploy the Intel Smart Campus Android application, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information. The impact could include exposure of personal data of students, staff, or employees, campus layout or security configurations, and other confidential operational data. Such information disclosure could facilitate further targeted attacks, social engineering, or privacy violations. Given the GDPR and other stringent data protection regulations in Europe, any unauthorized disclosure of personal data could lead to regulatory penalties and reputational damage. The requirement for local authenticated access somewhat limits the threat to insiders or attackers with physical access to devices, but this does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with shared or less controlled device usage. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so operational disruptions are unlikely. However, the confidentiality breach alone is significant in sensitive campus environments where data privacy is critical.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations using the Intel Smart Campus Android application should: 1) Ensure all devices running the application are updated to version 6.1 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2) Enforce strict device access controls, including strong authentication mechanisms and device encryption, to prevent unauthorized local access. 3) Limit the number of users with authenticated access to the application, applying the principle of least privilege. 4) Monitor and audit application usage and access logs to detect any suspicious activities or unauthorized data access. 5) Educate users about the risks of leaving devices unattended or sharing credentials. 6) If updating is not immediately possible, consider restricting the use of the application on devices in high-risk environments or disabling features that may expose sensitive information. 7) Coordinate with Intel or application vendors for official patches and security advisories. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control hardening, user privilege management, and operational monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.