CVE-2015-9140 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wear, and Small Cell SoC FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, and SDX20, unauthorized memory access possible in online memory dump feature.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2020
This vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile SoCs and related chipsets affected by the Android security patch level prior to 2018-04-05. The flaw resides in the online memory dump feature which allows unauthorized memory access, representing a critical security weakness in the device's memory management system. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Snapdragon SoCs including MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, and SDX20 platforms. This represents a significant concern as these chipsets power numerous smartphones and mobile devices across various manufacturers, creating widespread exposure. The vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and memory protection mechanisms within the memory dump functionality, allowing malicious actors to potentially extract sensitive data from device memory without proper authorization. The technical implementation flaw involves insufficient validation of memory access requests in the online dump feature, which should only be accessible through authenticated and authorized processes but instead permits unrestricted access to memory regions that contain confidential information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to perform unauthorized memory access operations that could expose sensitive data including cryptographic keys, user credentials, application data, and system information. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and creates potential pathways for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically related to insufficient access control mechanisms. Attackers could leverage this flaw to extract device-specific information that could be used for further exploitation or to compromise user privacy and device security. The memory dump feature typically provides system administrators or debugging tools with access to memory contents for diagnostic purposes, but the lack of proper access controls means that unauthorized parties can utilize this functionality to extract sensitive information from device memory. This vulnerability creates opportunities for advanced persistent threats to gather intelligence about target devices and potentially establish footholds for more sophisticated attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include applying the relevant Android security patches released on or after April 5, 2018, which address the memory access control issues in the online dump feature. Device manufacturers should ensure proper firmware updates are deployed to affected Snapdragon chipsets, particularly those in the MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, and SDX20 platforms. Additionally, security configurations should be reviewed to ensure that memory dump features are properly restricted and only accessible through secure authenticated channels. Network administrators should monitor for suspicious memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, and organizations should implement proper device security policies that limit access to sensitive memory functions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in embedded systems and mobile platforms, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing memory protection mechanisms and regular security assessments to identify similar access control weaknesses in other system components.