CVE-2014-9880 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
drivers/video/msm/vidc/common/enc/venc.c in the Qualcomm components in Android before 2016-08-05 on Nexus 7 (2013) devices does not validate VEN_IOCTL_GET_SEQUENCE_HDR ioctl calls, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28769352 and Qualcomm internal bug CR556356.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/12/2022
This vulnerability resides in the video encoder component of Qualcomm's Android implementation, specifically within the venc.c file located in the msm/vidc/common/enc/ directory. The flaw manifests as a missing input validation mechanism for the VEN_IOCTL_GET_SEQUENCE_HDR ioctl command, which is a critical system interface used for communication between user-space applications and kernel-space video encoding drivers. The vulnerability affects Android versions prior to 2016-08-05, particularly impacting Nexus 7 (2013) devices that utilize Qualcomm's proprietary video codec implementations. This represents a classic kernel-level privilege escalation vulnerability where an unprivileged user-space process can manipulate kernel interfaces without proper validation.
The technical exploitation occurs through a crafted application that sends malformed ioctl parameters to the video encoder driver, specifically targeting the VEN_IOCTL_GET_SEQUENCE_HDR command. Without proper input validation, the driver processes these invalid parameters and potentially executes arbitrary code with kernel privileges. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-122, which describes "Heap Overflow" conditions that can lead to privilege escalation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" in its operational methodology. The flaw essentially allows an attacker to bypass kernel security controls by exploiting the lack of parameter validation in the ioctl interface, enabling the execution of malicious code with the highest system privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities through a single vulnerable ioctl interface. An attacker can leverage this privilege escalation to gain root access, install malicious applications, modify system files, and potentially extract sensitive data from the device. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for mobile devices as it can be triggered through seemingly benign applications, making it difficult to detect and prevent. The fact that this affects Nexus 7 (2013) devices indicates that the vulnerability has existed for several years, providing attackers with ample time to develop and deploy exploits. The Android internal bug identifier 28769352 and Qualcomm internal bug CR556356 demonstrate that this issue was recognized by both vendors but required significant time to address through security patches and updates.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include applying the relevant Android security patches released on or before 2016-08-05, which would have included proper input validation for the ioctl interface. System administrators should ensure that all devices are updated to the latest security patches and that proper security monitoring is in place to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation in kernel interfaces and serves as a reminder of the critical security considerations when implementing device drivers. Organizations should implement robust application sandboxing and monitoring mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to kernel interfaces, particularly those related to hardware components that handle multimedia processing. Additionally, regular security assessments of device drivers and kernel interfaces should be conducted to identify and remediate similar validation weaknesses that could lead to privilege escalation attacks.