CVE-2015-9223 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 600, and SD 800, a buffer overflow can occur when processing an audio buffer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2020
This vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile chipsets including MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, SD 400, SD 600, and SD 800 processors found in Android devices released before the 2018-04-05 security patch level. The flaw manifests as a buffer overflow condition during audio buffer processing operations, representing a critical security weakness that could allow remote code execution or system compromise. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This issue specifically impacts the audio subsystem of these processors, making it particularly dangerous as audio processing occurs frequently during normal device operation and can be triggered through various attack vectors including malicious media files or network-based attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the audio buffer processing component fails to properly validate input data lengths before copying data into fixed-size memory buffers. This allows an attacker to craft specially formatted audio data that exceeds the allocated buffer space, causing memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The attack surface is broad since audio processing is integral to device functionality and can be triggered through multiple pathways including media playback, network streaming, or even through compromised applications that utilize audio APIs. The vulnerability represents a significant risk to mobile device security as it operates at a low level within the hardware processing pipeline, making it difficult to detect and mitigate through traditional software-based security measures.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-9223 extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially enable complete device compromise and persistent backdoor access. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to install malicious applications, access sensitive user data, or maintain unauthorized access to affected devices. The vulnerability affects a wide range of mobile devices manufactured by various OEMs that utilized the affected Qualcomm chipsets, creating a substantial attack surface across multiple device models and generations. Security researchers have documented this issue as part of the broader category of hardware-level vulnerabilities that require patching at the firmware or bootloader level rather than through standard operating system updates. This characteristic makes remediation more complex and time-consuming, as it requires coordination between chipset manufacturers, device manufacturers, and operating system vendors to ensure complete protection.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of security patches released by Qualcomm and device manufacturers, with particular attention to updating the firmware and bootloader components that control the affected audio processing subsystems. Organizations should implement comprehensive device management policies that enforce timely security updates and monitor for signs of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of hardware-level security considerations in mobile device architectures and highlights the need for robust input validation mechanisms at all levels of the processing pipeline. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to address hardware-level vulnerabilities. The remediation process typically involves coordinated updates from multiple vendors and requires careful testing to ensure that security patches do not introduce compatibility issues or performance degradation in affected devices.