CVE-2022-42780 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the WLAN driver of several Unisoc (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd. chipsets, specifically models SC9863A, SC9832E, SC7731E, T310, T606, T610, T612, T616, T618, T760, T770, T820, and S8005. 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 a buffer over-read condition classified under CWE-126. A buffer over-read occurs when a program reads data beyond the boundaries of a buffer, potentially causing memory corruption or crashes. In this case, the flaw can be triggered locally by a user or process with limited privileges (low privilege requirement) without any user interaction. The impact is a denial of service (DoS) targeting WLAN services, which could disrupt wireless connectivity on affected devices. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting medium severity, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), and high impact on availability (A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been explicitly linked or published at this time. The vulnerability was reserved in October 2022 and publicly disclosed in December 2022. Given the nature of the flaw, exploitation would require local access to the device, such as through a malicious app or local user, to trigger the WLAN driver fault and cause service disruption. This could affect device usability and network connectivity but does not directly expose sensitive data or allow code execution.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2022-42780 is the potential disruption of wireless network services on devices using affected Unisoc chipsets. This could lead to temporary loss of connectivity for employees relying on Android devices with these chipsets, impacting productivity and communication. Since the vulnerability requires local access and privileges, remote exploitation is unlikely, reducing risk from external attackers. However, insider threats or malicious applications installed on devices could trigger the DoS condition. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact means data breaches are not a direct concern, but availability degradation could affect critical operations, especially in sectors relying heavily on mobile connectivity such as logistics, field services, and remote workforces. The absence of known exploits and patches suggests organizations should prioritize detection and mitigation to prevent exploitation. The impact is more pronounced in environments with high device density using these chipsets and where WLAN connectivity is mission-critical.

1. Inventory and identify all Android devices within the organization using Unisoc chipsets listed in the vulnerability to assess exposure. 2. Restrict installation of untrusted or unnecessary applications on mobile devices to reduce risk of local exploitation by malicious apps. 3. Implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, monitor device health, and control app permissions, especially for WLAN driver access. 4. Encourage users to apply official OS and firmware updates as soon as vendors release patches addressing this vulnerability. 5. Where possible, isolate critical devices or networks from devices known to have these chipsets until patches are available. 6. Monitor device logs and WLAN service stability for signs of abnormal crashes or connectivity issues that may indicate exploitation attempts. 7. Educate users on the risks of installing unverified applications and the importance of device security hygiene. 8. Collaborate with device vendors and Unisoc for timely patch releases and verify patch deployment status regularly. 9. Consider network-level mitigations such as segmenting WLAN traffic or applying access controls to limit impact of device-level DoS.