CVE-2022-39093 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 the power management service without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8, indicating high severity, with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This means the attack requires local access (local vector), low attack complexity, and low privileges, but no user interaction. Successful exploitation can lead to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device's power management functions. The lack of proper permission checks could allow malicious actors or malicious apps to escalate privileges or disrupt device power management, potentially causing denial of service, unauthorized data access, or persistent control over device power states. No known exploits in the wild have been reported to date, and no official patches have been linked in the provided data, though the vulnerability was reserved in early September 2022 and published in December 2022. The affected chipsets are commonly found in budget and mid-range smartphones, particularly those using Unisoc SoCs, which are prevalent in certain markets and device segments.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the prevalence of devices using the affected Unisoc chipsets within their operational environment. Enterprises with mobile device fleets that include Android devices powered by these chipsets could face risks of local privilege escalation and unauthorized control over device power management. This could lead to data confidentiality breaches, integrity violations through unauthorized configuration changes, and availability issues such as device crashes or forced reboots. Critical sectors relying on mobile devices for secure communications, such as finance, healthcare, and government, may be particularly vulnerable if such devices are compromised. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against employees or contractors with physical or local access to devices, or through malicious applications exploiting the flaw. Given the vulnerability requires local access and low privileges but no user interaction, it could be exploited by malware already present on the device or by insiders. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but the high impact potential warrants proactive mitigation. The broad range of affected Android versions (10-12) means many devices remain vulnerable if unpatched.

Identify and inventory all mobile devices within the organization that use Unisoc chipsets listed in the vulnerability description, focusing on Android 10, 11, and 12 devices. Engage with device manufacturers and Unisoc to obtain or verify availability of firmware or OS patches addressing CVE-2022-39093. Prioritize timely deployment of these patches once available. Implement strict mobile device management (MDM) policies to restrict installation of untrusted applications and enforce least privilege principles to reduce the chance of local privilege escalation. Restrict physical access to devices and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized local access. Monitor devices for unusual power management behavior, such as unexpected reboots, shutdowns, or power state changes, which could indicate exploitation attempts. Educate users on the risks of installing unverified apps and the importance of reporting device anomalies promptly. Consider network segmentation and application whitelisting on mobile devices to limit potential lateral movement if a device is compromised. If possible, disable or restrict access to the vulnerable power management service interfaces until patches are applied. Regularly review and update security policies to incorporate emerging threat intelligence related to Unisoc chipset vulnerabilities.