CVE-2016-0837 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
MPEG4Extractor.cpp in libstagefright in mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-04-01 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and memory corruption) via a crafted media file, aka internal bug 27208621.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-0837 represents a critical security flaw within the Android media processing framework, specifically affecting the libstagefright library component. This issue resides in the MPEG4Extractor.cpp file which forms part of the mediaserver service responsible for handling multimedia content processing on Android devices. The vulnerability affects multiple Android versions including 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before the specified date, indicating a widespread impact across the Android ecosystem. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the media file parsing logic, creating a dangerous condition where maliciously crafted media files can trigger unexpected behavior in the underlying system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves an out-of-bounds read condition combined with memory corruption that occurs when processing specially crafted MPEG4 media files. When the mediaserver attempts to parse these malicious files, the MPEG4Extractor.cpp code fails to properly validate the structure and boundaries of the media data, leading to memory access violations. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations that can lead to memory corruption. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or system crashes that result in denial of service conditions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the system level through the mediaserver process, which runs with elevated privileges and handles media processing for all applications on the device.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0837 extends beyond simple exploitation scenarios, as it represents a significant threat to Android device security and user privacy. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious media files shared through social networks or file transfer applications. The mediaserver process, which handles all multimedia content processing, becomes a potential attack surface that can be exploited without requiring user interaction beyond simply opening or playing the malicious media file. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which involves executing malicious code through media playback or file processing. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability can lead to system instability, application crashes, and potentially full system compromise, making it particularly dangerous for both individual users and enterprise environments where Android devices are prevalent.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0837 primarily focus on immediate system updates and patch management. Android users should immediately install the security patches released by Google for the affected versions, particularly the Android Security Bulletin for April 2016 which addressed this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement robust patch management processes to ensure all Android devices receive the necessary updates promptly. Additional defensive measures include network-level filtering of multimedia content, implementing application sandboxing to limit the impact of potential exploitation, and monitoring for unusual mediaserver behavior or memory access patterns. Security professionals should also consider implementing network segmentation to prevent lateral movement if exploitation occurs, as the vulnerability's ability to cause memory corruption could potentially enable privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in media processing libraries and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of multimedia frameworks, particularly those handling untrusted content from external sources.