Threat Category: Boot firmware
ID: STA-17
Threat Description: Downgrading the phone’s operating system may expose the device to previously patched security vulnerabilities.
Threat Origin
Not Applicable, See Exploit or CVE Examples
Exploit Examples
Not Applicable
CVE Examples
Not Applicable
Possible Countermeasures
Use EMM/MDM solutions in combination with devices that can detect mobile OS verions and successfully block access to enterprise resources from devices running unapproved OS versions.
Consider the use of iOS devices; to prevent devices from being downgraded to older versions that lack the latest security updates, iOS uses a process called System Software Authorization. 1
References
iOS Security: iOS 9.3 or later, white paper, Apple, 2016. www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf [accessed 8/24/16]. ↩