CVE-2011-1350 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The PowerVR SGX driver in Android before 2.3.6 allows attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel stack memory via an application that uses a crafted length parameter in a request to the pvrsrvkm device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1350 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the PowerVR SGX graphics driver implementation in Android operating systems prior to version 2.3.6. This issue resides in the kernel-level graphics subsystem that manages hardware acceleration for mobile devices, specifically affecting the pvrsrvkm device interface that serves as the communication channel between user-space applications and the graphics kernel module. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the driver's handling of device ioctls, where a crafted length parameter in a device request can trigger unintended memory disclosure behavior.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully constructed ioctl request that manipulates the length parameter to bypass normal memory boundaries during kernel memory access operations. When an application submits such a malformed request to the pvrsrvkm device, the driver fails to properly validate the length field, allowing the kernel to read beyond allocated memory boundaries or access uninitialized stack variables. This improper validation creates a path where sensitive kernel stack memory contents can be leaked to user-space applications through the device interface, potentially exposing cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other confidential data that should remain protected within kernel memory space.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked kernel memory could contain critical system information that adversaries might leverage for further exploitation. Attackers could potentially extract memory addresses, kernel pointers, or other sensitive data that would aid in bypassing kernel security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization or kernel stack canaries. This information leakage could serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or kernel exploitation attempts, particularly when combined with other vulnerabilities present in the system. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Android devices that were shipped with versions prior to 2.3.6, making it a significant concern for device security and privacy.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1350 primarily focus on upgrading affected Android systems to version 2.3.6 or later, where the driver implementation includes proper input validation and memory boundary checks. System administrators should also implement monitoring for unusual device access patterns and ensure that applications requesting graphics driver access undergo proper security review and validation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploit for privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing kernel memory protection mechanisms and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other kernel modules that might expose similar information disclosure risks.