CVE-2022-39090 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the power management service of several Unisoc (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd. chipsets, including SC9863A, SC9832E, SC7731E, T310, T606, T610, T612, T616, T618, T760, T770, T820, and S8000. These chipsets are integrated into devices running Android versions 10, 11, and 12. The core issue is a missing authorization check (CWE-862) within the power management service, which allows an attacker with limited privileges (low-level privileges) to configure or manipulate power management settings without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability is exploitable locally (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact is significant, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability (all rated high), as improper power management control can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive system functions, potential privilege escalation, or denial of service through power state manipulation. The vulnerability scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the exploit affects the same security scope. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The affected chipsets are commonly used in budget and mid-range smartphones, particularly in markets where Unisoc SoCs are prevalent. The vulnerability’s technical nature suggests that an attacker with local access, such as a malicious app or compromised user account, could leverage this flaw to gain elevated control over device power management, potentially disrupting device stability or bypassing security controls tied to power states.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-39090 could be substantial, especially for enterprises relying on mobile devices equipped with Unisoc chipsets running affected Android versions. The vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt device availability through power management manipulation, causing denial of service or forced reboots, which can interrupt business operations. Confidentiality and integrity risks arise if attackers leverage the flaw to escalate privileges or bypass security mechanisms, potentially accessing sensitive corporate data or implanting persistent malware. This is particularly critical for sectors with high mobile device usage such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. Additionally, the lack of user interaction requirement increases the risk of silent exploitation. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the high CVSS score (7.8) and ease of exploitation warrant proactive measures. The vulnerability also poses risks to supply chain security and mobile device management (MDM) systems that may not be prepared to detect or mitigate such low-level privilege abuses. Organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies may face increased exposure if employees use vulnerable devices.

Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement targeted mitigations beyond generic advice: 1) Enforce strict application whitelisting and privilege restrictions on mobile devices to prevent untrusted or low-privilege apps from accessing power management interfaces. 2) Utilize Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) solutions capable of detecting anomalous behavior related to power management or privilege escalation attempts. 3) Monitor device logs and power state changes for unusual patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Restrict local access to devices, including limiting physical access and enforcing strong authentication to reduce the risk of local exploitation. 5) Coordinate with device vendors and Unisoc to obtain firmware updates or security patches as they become available, and prioritize updating affected devices promptly. 6) For organizations deploying MDM, configure policies to disable or restrict power management service access where feasible. 7) Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted applications, especially those requesting unusual permissions related to device management. 8) Consider network segmentation and endpoint detection to limit lateral movement if a device is compromised via this vulnerability.