CVE-2018-14994

The Essential Phone Android device with a build fingerprint of essential/mata/mata:8.1.0/OPM1.180104.166/297:user/release-keys contains a pre-installed platform app with a package name of com.ts.android.hiddenmenu (versionName=1.0, platformBuildVersionName=8.1.0) that contains an exported activity app component named com.ts.android.hiddenmenu.rtn.RTNResetActivity that allows any app co-located on the device to programmatically initiate a factory reset. In addition, the app initiating the factory reset does not require any permissions. A factory reset will remove all user data and apps from the device. This will result in the loss of any data that have not been backed up or synced externally. The capability to perform a factory reset is not directly available to third-party apps (those that the user installs themselves with the exception of enabled Mobile Device Management (MDM) apps), although this capability can be obtained by leveraging an unprotected app component of a pre-installed platform app.

• CWE-20

• https://www.kryptowire.comThird Party Advisory
• https://www.kryptowire.com/portal/android-firmware-defcon-2018/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
• https://www.kryptowire.com/portal/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/DEFCON-26-Johnson-and-Stavrou-Vulnerable-Out-of-the-Box-An-Eval-of-Android-Carrier-Devices-WP-Updated.pdfThird Party Advisory
• https://www.kryptowire.comThird Party Advisory
• https://www.kryptowire.com/portal/android-firmware-defcon-2018/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
• https://www.kryptowire.com/portal/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/DEFCON-26-Johnson-and-Stavrou-Vulnerable-Out-of-the-Box-An-Eval-of-Android-Carrier-Devices-WP-Updated.pdfThird Party Advisory

Published

Apr 25, 2019

Last Modified

Jun 17, 2026

Status

Modified