CVE-2014-9785 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
drivers/misc/qseecom.c in the Qualcomm components in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 7 (2013) devices does not validate addresses before copying data, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28469042 and Qualcomm internal bug CR545747.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-9785 resides within the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment Communication driver component, specifically in the qseecom.c file located in the Android kernel's drivers/misc directory. This flaw affects Android versions prior to 2016-07-05 and is particularly prevalent on Nexus 7 (2013) devices, representing a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that undermines the security boundaries of the Android operating system. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the kernel driver responsible for facilitating communication between the secure execution environment and the Android framework, creating a pathway for malicious applications to bypass security controls and execute code with elevated privileges.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the absence of proper address validation before data copying operations within the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment driver. When a malicious application attempts to interact with the qseecom driver through crafted system calls, the driver fails to validate memory addresses provided by user-space applications before performing copy operations. This validation gap allows attackers to manipulate memory addresses in such a way that data is copied to unintended memory locations, potentially overwriting critical kernel structures or executing arbitrary code within kernel space. The vulnerability specifically aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are directly exploited through improper address validation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it enables attackers to achieve privilege escalation from regular application context to kernel-level privileges. This means that any malicious application installed on an affected device can potentially gain complete control over the system, allowing for persistent root access, data theft, system modification, and the installation of additional malware. The attack vector requires only a crafted application, making it particularly dangerous as users can be tricked into installing seemingly benign applications that contain the malicious payload. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," and T1059, which covers "Command and Scripting Interpreter," as the compromised system can be used to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure kernel driver development practices and proper input validation mechanisms. The flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege, where kernel-level components fail to validate user-provided data before processing it, creating a pathway for attackers to manipulate kernel memory. Security researchers have noted that this vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the core security infrastructure of Android devices, specifically the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment which is designed to provide a trusted execution environment for sensitive operations. Organizations and users should immediately apply security patches and updates released by Google and Qualcomm, as the vulnerability was patched in the Android security update released on July 5, 2016. The remediation process involves proper address validation in kernel drivers, implementing proper bounds checking mechanisms, and ensuring that all data transfers between user and kernel space are properly validated before processing.