CVE-2015-0572 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple race conditions in drivers/char/adsprpc.c and drivers/char/adsprpc_compat.c in the ADSPRPC driver for the Linux kernel 3.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, allow attackers to cause a denial of service (zero-value write) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a COMPAT_FASTRPC_IOCTL_INVOKE_FD ioctl call.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2015-0572 represents a critical race condition flaw within the ADSPRPC driver component of the Linux kernel version 3.x series, specifically affecting Qualcomm Innovation Center's Android contributions for MSM devices. This issue manifests in two primary driver files: drivers/char/adsprpc.c and drivers/char/adsprpc_compat.c, which together form the core of the Android DSP RPC (Remote Procedure Call) functionality. The vulnerability arises from improper synchronization mechanisms during ioctl operations, creating exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by malicious actors to disrupt system functionality. The ADSPRPC driver serves as a crucial interface between user-space applications and the Qualcomm DSP (Digital Signal Processor) subsystem, enabling efficient communication for audio, video, and other multimedia processing tasks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from race conditions in how the COMPAT_FASTRPC_IOCTL_INVOKE_FD ioctl command is processed within the kernel's character device driver framework. When an attacker issues this specific ioctl call, the kernel's handling of the operation creates temporal gaps where multiple threads or processes can simultaneously access shared resources without proper mutual exclusion. The flaw specifically manifests as a zero-value write operation that can be triggered through improper input validation and concurrent access to kernel memory structures. According to CWE-362, this vulnerability maps directly to Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource issues, where the lack of proper locking mechanisms allows multiple execution paths to interfere with each other. The race condition occurs during the processing of file descriptor-based RPC invocations, where the kernel fails to properly validate or synchronize access to critical data structures before performing write operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0572 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, potentially enabling more severe consequences including system instability and arbitrary code execution. A successful exploitation can result in a denial of service scenario where legitimate system services become unavailable due to the zero-value write operations corrupting kernel memory. The vulnerability affects Qualcomm MSM devices running Android versions that incorporate QuIC's kernel contributions, making it particularly dangerous in mobile environments where system reliability is paramount. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with T1059.005 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic) and T1489 (Service Stop) tactics, as it can be used to disrupt system services and potentially escalate privileges through kernel memory corruption. The impact is particularly severe on devices where the DSP subsystem is critical for multimedia processing, as the vulnerability can effectively disable core functionality of the device's audio and video capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-0572 require both immediate patching and architectural improvements to prevent similar race conditions from occurring in the future. The primary solution involves applying the official kernel patches that introduce proper mutex locking mechanisms around the affected code paths in both adsprpc.c and adsprpc_compat.c driver files. System administrators should prioritize updating to kernel versions that include fixes for this vulnerability, particularly those incorporating Qualcomm's security patches for MSM devices. Additional mitigations include implementing proper input validation at the ioctl interface level, adding comprehensive logging for RPC invocation patterns, and conducting thorough code reviews for similar race condition vulnerabilities in other kernel drivers. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper synchronization primitives in kernel space, as highlighted by CWE-129 and CWE-131 categories that address improper input validation and buffer overflow conditions that can arise from concurrent access issues. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous ioctl behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where mobile device security is critical.