dbcve.org
TizenOperating system · Linux

CVE-2018-16265

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The bt/bt_core system service in Tizen allows an unprivileged process to create a system user interface and control the Bluetooth pairing process, due to improper D-Bus security policy configurations. This affects Tizen before 5.0 M1, and Tizen-based firmwares including Samsung Galaxy Gear series before build RE2.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The bt_core system service in Tizen contains improper D-Bus security policy configurations that allow unprivileged processes to invoke privileged methods, enabling creation of system UI and control over the Bluetooth pairing process. This represents a privilege escalation via D-Bus authorization bypass affecting the Bluetooth subsystem.

MitigationUpdate Tizen to version 5.0 M1 or later which contains corrected D-Bus policy configurations; alternatively, review and harden the D-Bus security policy files for the bt_core service to enforce proper authorization checks.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
TizenOperating system
Affected:= 1.0= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 2.2.1= 2.3= 2.3.1= 2.4= 3.0= 4.0= 5.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Tizen version
    Check the installed Tizen version by examining /etc/os-release or using the tizen-version command if available
    Affected if The version is any of: 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.3, 2.3.1, 2.4, 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0 (versions prior to 5.0 M1 are affected)
  2. Verify bt_core service presence
    Query the system service manager for the bt_core or bluetooth-core service using systemctl or the equivalent Tizen service listing command
    Affected if The bt_core service is present and running on the system
  3. Locate D-Bus policy configuration for bt_core
    Search for D-Bus policy XML files related to bt_core in typical locations such as /etc/dbus-1/system.d/ or /usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/
    Affected if A D-Bus policy file for bt_core exists and contains policy entries allowing method calls from unprivileged contexts
  4. Inspect bt_core D-Bus policy permissions
    Examine the bt_core D-Bus policy file and look for <allow> or <allow send_destination> elements that do not restrict the sender to privileged system users
    Affected if The policy contains overly permissive rules that allow any unprivileged process to invoke privileged bt_core methods
  5. Confirm Bluetooth subsystem is enabled
    Check if Bluetooth hardware is present and the Bluetooth stack is active by examining bluetooth service status or checking /var/run/bluetooth/ directory
    Affected if Bluetooth is enabled and the bt_core service is actively handling Bluetooth operations

A system is affected if it runs any Tizen version from 1.0 to 5.0 (prior to 5.0 M1) and has the bt_core service with misconfigured D-Bus policies that permit unprivileged access to privileged Bluetooth methods.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Tizen to version 5.0 M1 or later which contains corrected D-Bus policy configurations; alternatively, review and harden the D-Bus security policy files for the bt_core service to enforce proper authorization checks.

Fix this in Tizen Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-16265 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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