Kyocera’s Mobile Print app, used by over a million Android devices, has been found to be vulnerable to a malware attack due to improper intent handling. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-25954, allows other malicious applications to abuse the flaw, potentially downloading and installing malware on affected devices.
Kyocera, UTAX/TA, and Olivetti Mobile Print apps share the same code, and are affected by the vulnerability. Users are urged to upgrade to the latest version, 3.2.0.230227, to prevent further risks.
The flaw is based on the fact that the Mobile Print app’s application class allows data transmission from malicious third-party mobile applications. Malicious files can be downloaded and executed through KYOCERA Mobile Print web browser functionality, which could lead to the acquisition of internal information on mobile devices. For such an attack to occur, users must also install a second malicious application on their device to trigger the payload download.
Google’s upcoming Android 14 version is expected to mitigate the associated risks by handling intents more securely. This would make it harder to conceal the true nature of “under the hood” data exchanges.
The exchange of intents between apps will be restricted, requiring the definition of specific recipients by the sender, the declaration of what information an app needs to receive from other apps, and whether or not receivers should be limited to system broadcasts.
While the severity of the flaw is mitigated by the need for a second malicious app, attackers could easily distribute a malicious app that takes advantage of the vulnerability, without including risky code or permission requests.
The Kyocera vulnerability underscores the importance of promptly updating mobile apps to their latest versions, and being vigilant against malicious applications.
