Critical Vulnerability Discovered in MediaTek Chipsets, Leaving Devices Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution Attacks
A critical vulnerability has been discovered in MediaTek chipsets, which could make it easy for hackers to exploit remote code execution (RCE) attacks without any user interaction. According to a cybersecurity firm, the vulnerability was reported in March, but a recent GitHub post has showcased a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the feasibility of the attack.
The vulnerability, designated as CVE-2024-20017, has been rated as a critical zero-click vulnerability with a CVSS 3.0 score of 9.8. It was found in two MediaTek Wi-Fi chipsets, MT7622 and MT7915, as well as the RTxxxx series SoftAP driver bundles. These chipsets are commonly used by manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Ubiquiti, and Netgear for smartphones and routers.
The cybersecurity firm, SonicWall Capture Labs, has detailed the new vulnerability in a blog post. The flaw allows attackers to exploit a system remotely, without any action or interaction required from the victim. This means that users do not need to follow any templates used in traditional phishing attacks.
The vulnerability affects MediaTek SDK versions 7.4.0.1 and earlier, as well as OpenWrt versions 19.07 and 21.02. Attackers can use a "table overwrite technique via a return-oriented programming (ROP) chain" to gather sensitive information from the device without any user intervention.
The chip maker, MediaTek, has released patches to fix the security flaw, and users are advised to update the firmware as soon as possible. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited without any user action, making it a highly critical issue.
The cybersecurity firm has emphasized the need for users to take immediate action to protect their devices. With the proof-of-concept available on GitHub, it is essential for users to update their devices to the latest firmware and ensure that they are protected from this critical vulnerability.
