Description

ZTE Z80 Ultra contains an information disclosure vulnerability, through which third-party applications can read relevant information by hooking system APIs.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "3.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-10-10T07:16:40.980Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-10-10T07:16:40.980Z",
  "executiveSummary": "The ZTE Z80 Ultra is susceptible to an information disclosure vulnerability stemming from insufficient protection of system API integrity.\nThis vulnerability allows unauthorized third-party applications to intercept and extract sensitive data by manipulating standard system interfaces.\nThe primary risk involves the compromise of user privacy and potential leakage of restricted device information or credentials.\nExploitation requires the presence of a malicious third-party application on the device, which utilizes API hooking techniques to bypass standard security boundaries.\nThis flaw highlights a lack of robust inter-process communication (IPC) security and insufficient verification mechanisms for API callers.\nSuccessful exploitation grants an attacker the ability to observe sensitive system-level processes or data exchanges that would otherwise be shielded from unprivileged applications.\nThe security posture of the device is significantly degraded if malicious applications gain the necessary permissions to interface with sensitive system frameworks.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the ZTE Z80 Ultra's system software layer, specifically concerning how system APIs handle internal requests from non-system applications.\nThe root cause is a failure to implement proper verification or sandboxing for system API calls, permitting third-party processes to perform runtime hooking.\nHooking, in this context, involves the interception of function calls, messages, or events between the software component and the operating system. By injecting code or utilizing instrumentation frameworks, a malicious application can intercept the execution flow of legitimate system APIs.\nWhen a legitimate system process calls a sensitive API, the hook interceptor redirects the execution to a malicious routine. This routine logs or transmits the arguments and return values of the hijacked function before returning execution to the intended target, ensuring the compromise goes undetected by the user.\nThe attack flow follows a structured progression: First, a malicious third-party application is installed on the ZTE Z80 Ultra. Second, the application identifies target system APIs that handle sensitive data structures. Third, the application utilizes system-level hooking techniques to monitor these interfaces. Finally, the application exfiltrates the captured data via covert channels or network connectivity.\nBecause these APIs lack secondary validation or cryptographic binding, the system cannot verify that the request originated from a trusted entity or that the communication path remains untampered.\nAffected versions of the ZTE Z80 Ultra operate with insufficient kernel or framework-level protection against unauthorized code injection into system processes. This vulnerability is not reliant on network exposure; however, the impact is severe as it undermines the device's fundamental security architecture and user data confidentiality."
}