CVE-2015-8072 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
mediaserver in Android 4.4 through 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY48X and 6.0 before 2015-11-01 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted media file, aka internal bug 23881715, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-6608 and CVE-2015-8073.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8072 affects the mediaserver component in Android operating systems versions 4.4 through 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY48X and 6.0 before 2015-11-01. This represents a critical security flaw within the multimedia processing framework that governs how Android devices handle various media file formats. The mediaserver process serves as a central hub for media decoding and playback operations, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its extensive functionality and privileged execution context. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of crafted media files that can trigger memory corruption issues, potentially allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system-level denial of service conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that occurs when the mediaserver processes malformed media files. Attackers can craft specially designed media content that, when processed by the vulnerable system, leads to buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management failures. These memory corruption issues typically arise from insufficient bounds checking and input validation within the media parsing routines. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it operates at the system level where the mediaserver runs with elevated privileges, potentially enabling attackers to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition and may also exhibit characteristics of CWE-787 as an out-of-bounds write, depending on the specific exploitation vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-8072 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass full system compromise potential. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on affected devices without requiring physical access or user interaction, making it particularly concerning for mobile device security. The memory corruption issues can result in system crashes, application instability, or complete device reboot cycles that disrupt normal user operations. More critically, successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation, allowing attackers to bypass Android's security model and potentially access sensitive user data, system files, or network resources. This vulnerability affects a broad range of Android devices including smartphones, tablets, and other mobile platforms that rely on the mediaserver for multimedia processing functions, creating widespread exposure across the Android ecosystem.
Organizations and users must implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves applying the security patches released by Google as part of the Android Security Bulletin for November 2015, which specifically addresses this memory corruption flaw in the mediaserver component. Device administrators should prioritize updating all affected Android devices to versions 5.1.1 LMY48X or 6.0 with the 2015-11-01 security patch. Network administrators should consider implementing network-based restrictions that prevent the processing of untrusted media files, particularly those from unknown sources or email attachments. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, making it a significant concern for both endpoint security and network defense strategies. Regular security monitoring should include detection of unusual mediaserver behavior or memory allocation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as this vulnerability represents a common attack vector for mobile device compromise in enterprise environments.