CVE-2015-9118 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 800, SD 808, and SD 810, in ADSP's QDI Root-PD driver, untrusted arguments from User PD may cause integer overflow resulting in buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-9118 represents a critical security flaw affecting Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile chipsets deployed in various Android devices. This issue resides within the ADSP QDI Root-PD driver component, which operates in the trusted execution environment of these processors. The vulnerability specifically impacts devices running Android versions prior to the 2018-04-05 security patch level, making it a persistent threat across multiple generations of Snapdragon processors including the MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 800, SD 808, and SD 810 chipsets. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the driver's argument processing logic, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through untrusted data sources.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as an integer overflow condition that ultimately leads to a buffer overflow scenario. When untrusted arguments are passed from the User PD (User Processing Domain) to the QDI Root-PD driver, the system fails to properly validate the size parameters of these inputs. This validation failure allows an attacker to manipulate the argument values in such a way that they exceed the maximum representable value for the integer data type, causing the integer to wrap around to a much smaller value. When this overflowed value is subsequently used as a buffer size parameter, it results in insufficient memory allocation, enabling attackers to write beyond the allocated buffer boundaries and potentially overwrite adjacent memory regions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, presenting serious security implications for affected devices. Attackers exploiting this flaw could potentially execute arbitrary code within the ADSP domain, which operates with elevated privileges and access to sensitive system resources. This privilege escalation capability allows for complete system compromise, enabling unauthorized access to encrypted data, modification of system components, and potential persistence mechanisms. The vulnerability's presence in the Root-PD driver means that successful exploitation could undermine the fundamental security boundaries that separate trusted and untrusted execution environments, effectively breaking down the security architecture designed to protect against such attacks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to memory corruption vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique, specifically under the "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" tactic, where attackers leverage system-level vulnerabilities to gain elevated access rights. The impact on affected devices is particularly concerning given that these Snapdragon chipsets were widely deployed across numerous Android smartphones and tablets, making the potential attack surface extensive and the remediation effort substantial. Organizations and users must prioritize patch management to address this vulnerability, as the exploitation of such flaws can lead to complete device compromise and data breaches. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of robust input validation in security-critical components and demonstrates how flaws in trusted execution environments can have cascading effects throughout the entire system security model.