CVE-2022-42781 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the WLAN driver of several Unisoc (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd. chipsets, including SC9863A, SC9832E, SC7731E, T610, T310, T606, T760, T618, T612, T616, T770, T820, and S8006. These chipsets are commonly embedded in 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 (CWE-126). A buffer over-read occurs when a program reads data beyond the boundary of a buffer, potentially causing unexpected behavior or crashes. In this case, the flaw can be exploited locally by an attacker with low privileges (local access with low privileges required) to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition affecting WLAN services. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N, I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild as of the published date (December 6, 2022), and no patches have been officially released by the vendor. The vulnerability is limited to local exploitation, meaning an attacker must have local access to the device to trigger the issue. The affected chipsets are widely used in budget and mid-range Android smartphones, particularly those manufactured by OEMs that source Unisoc SoCs. The vulnerability could cause WLAN services to crash or become unresponsive, disrupting wireless connectivity and potentially impacting device usability and network access. Because the flaw does not affect confidentiality or integrity, the primary risk is service disruption rather than data compromise or privilege escalation.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2022-42781 is the potential for local denial of service on devices using affected Unisoc chipsets. This could disrupt wireless connectivity on Android devices running affected versions, impacting employee productivity, especially in environments relying on mobile connectivity or Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. Critical operations that depend on stable WLAN connections, such as remote access, mobile communications, or IoT device management, could be interrupted. Although the vulnerability does not allow for data theft or system compromise, repeated or targeted exploitation could degrade network reliability and user experience. Organizations with a significant number of employees using affected devices may face increased support costs and operational disruptions. Additionally, the lack of available patches means that mitigation relies heavily on device vendors and OEMs to issue firmware or driver updates, which may be delayed or unavailable for older or lower-cost devices. This could prolong exposure and risk. The vulnerability is less likely to be exploited remotely or at scale due to its local attack vector requirement, limiting its impact primarily to scenarios where an attacker has physical or local access to the device.

1. Inventory and Identify: Organizations should identify devices using Unisoc chipsets listed in the vulnerability and running Android 10, 11, or 12. This can be done through Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions or endpoint inventory tools. 2. Vendor Coordination: Engage with device manufacturers and vendors to obtain information on firmware or driver updates addressing this vulnerability. Prioritize updating devices as soon as patches become available. 3. Access Controls: Restrict local access to devices, especially in sensitive environments. Enforce strong physical security policies to prevent unauthorized local access that could trigger the vulnerability. 4. Network Segmentation: Limit WLAN network access for devices that cannot be patched immediately, isolating them from critical network segments to reduce potential disruption. 5. User Awareness: Educate users about the risks of local attacks and encourage reporting of unusual device behavior such as frequent WLAN disconnections or crashes. 6. Alternative Connectivity: Where feasible, provide alternative network connectivity options (e.g., wired Ethernet or cellular data) to mitigate the impact of WLAN service disruption. 7. Monitor Device Stability: Implement monitoring for WLAN service availability and device crashes to detect potential exploitation attempts or instability related to this vulnerability. 8. Firmware Validation: For organizations with in-house device management capabilities, consider validating firmware integrity and driver versions to ensure no unauthorized modifications are present.