CVE-2016-10233 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm video driver. Product: Android. Versions: Android kernel. Android ID: A-34389926. References: QC-CR#897452.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10233 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within the Qualcomm video driver component of the Android kernel ecosystem. This issue resides in the underlying hardware abstraction layer where the video driver interacts with the operating system's kernel to manage multimedia processing capabilities. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and insufficient access controls within the driver's implementation, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges from standard user-level processes to kernel-level execution. The Android ID A-34389926 specifically identifies this flaw within the Android security framework, while the Qualcomm reference QC-CR#897452 indicates the vendor-specific tracking and resolution process for this security gap.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a flaw in the video driver's handling of specific ioctl (input/output control) commands that are used to communicate between user-space applications and kernel-space driver components. When the driver processes malformed or improperly validated input parameters, it fails to properly validate the privileges of the calling process, allowing unauthorized code execution within the kernel context. This flaw falls under the CWE-264 vulnerability category, which encompasses permissions, privileges, and access control issues that enable unauthorized elevation of privileges. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the highest system privileges, effectively bypassing all standard security mechanisms including SELinux policies and other mandatory access controls that typically protect the kernel from unauthorized access.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-10233 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally compromises the security model of Android devices that rely on Qualcomm's video processing capabilities. Devices running affected Android kernel versions become vulnerable to persistent rootkits and malware that can establish backdoors, modify system files, and exfiltrate sensitive data without detection. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves the exploitation of legitimate credentials and privileges to gain system-level access. The flaw affects a broad range of devices that utilize Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, particularly those with integrated multimedia processing capabilities, making it a widespread concern across the Android ecosystem. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, often occurring through malicious media files or compromised applications that trigger the vulnerable driver code path.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected Qualcomm video drivers through Android security updates, which typically involves updating the kernel components to include proper input validation and privilege checking mechanisms. Organizations and device manufacturers must implement comprehensive testing procedures to verify that the patched drivers properly validate all input parameters and enforce strict access controls for kernel-level operations. The fix should include enhanced validation of ioctl command parameters, proper privilege checking before executing sensitive operations, and implementation of proper memory protection mechanisms to prevent buffer overflows that could be leveraged to exploit the privilege escalation. Additionally, security teams should deploy monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous kernel-level activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other driver components. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of secure driver development practices and the need for comprehensive security testing of kernel-level components that interact with hardware-specific functionalities.