CVE-2022-42765 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the WLAN driver of several Unisoc (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd. chipsets, including SC9863A, SC9832E, SC7731E, T310, T606, T610, T612, T616, T618, T760, T770, T820, and S8010. These chipsets are commonly integrated into Android devices running versions 10, 11, and 12. The vulnerability stems from a missing bounds check in the WLAN driver, which leads to an integer overflow condition (classified under CWE-190). An integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation attempts to create a numeric value that is outside the range that can be represented with a given number of bits, causing unexpected behavior. In this case, the overflow can be triggered locally by an attacker with limited privileges and requires user interaction, such as running a malicious application or code on the device. The overflow can cause the WLAN service to crash or become unresponsive, resulting in a local denial of service (DoS) condition that impacts the availability of wireless network connectivity. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.6, reflecting a medium severity with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L. This indicates that the attack requires local access with low complexity, no privileges, and user interaction, and it can cause high confidentiality impact (potentially exposing sensitive WLAN data), low integrity impact, and low availability impact (partial DoS). No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no patches have been explicitly linked in the provided data, suggesting that mitigation may rely on vendor updates or workarounds. The vulnerability is specific to the WLAN driver implementation in Unisoc chipsets, which are widely used in budget and mid-range Android smartphones, especially in emerging markets and some European countries where these devices have market penetration.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2022-42765 is the potential disruption of wireless network services on devices using affected Unisoc chipsets. This can lead to local denial of service, causing loss of connectivity for employees relying on these devices for communication and access to corporate resources. The confidentiality impact is notable since the CVSS vector indicates a high confidentiality impact, which may imply that sensitive WLAN data could be exposed or leaked during exploitation, potentially compromising corporate network security. However, the attack requires local access and user interaction, limiting remote exploitation risks. Organizations with employees using affected devices in critical roles or environments with sensitive data could face increased risk of operational disruption and data leakage. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited in targeted attacks against mobile devices used in field operations or remote work scenarios, impacting business continuity. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the presence of the vulnerability in widely deployed chipsets necessitates proactive mitigation to prevent future exploitation.

1. Inventory and Identification: Organizations should identify and inventory all mobile devices using Unisoc chipsets listed in the vulnerability to assess exposure. 2. Vendor Updates: Monitor Unisoc and device manufacturers for firmware or driver updates addressing this vulnerability and apply patches promptly once available. 3. Device Usage Policies: Restrict installation of untrusted or unknown applications on devices to reduce the risk of local exploitation requiring user interaction. 4. Network Segmentation: Isolate devices with affected chipsets on separate network segments or VLANs to limit potential lateral movement or data exposure in case of compromise. 5. Endpoint Protection: Deploy mobile endpoint security solutions capable of detecting anomalous WLAN driver behavior or application activities that could trigger the vulnerability. 6. User Awareness: Educate users about the risks of installing unverified applications and the importance of applying updates to their devices. 7. Alternative Hardware: For high-security environments, consider using devices with chipsets from vendors without known vulnerabilities or with faster patch cycles. 8. Monitoring and Incident Response: Implement monitoring for unusual WLAN service disruptions and have incident response plans ready to address potential denial of service or data leakage incidents related to this vulnerability.