CVE-2016-10382 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, access control to the I2C bus is not sufficient.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10382 represents a critical access control weakness in Qualcomm-based Android devices that utilize the Linux kernel framework. This issue affects all Qualcomm products running Android versions through the Code Aurora Forum (CAF) and stems from insufficient protection mechanisms governing access to the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus interface. The I2C bus serves as a critical communication pathway for various hardware components including sensors, actuators, and peripheral devices within mobile platforms, making its security paramount to overall device integrity.
The technical flaw manifests in the Linux kernel implementation where proper access control checks are either absent or inadequately enforced when processes attempt to communicate with I2C devices. This weakness allows unauthorized applications or malicious code to potentially access I2C bus resources without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically targets the kernel-level I2C subsystem where device drivers and user-space applications interact with hardware through the I2C interface. This insufficient access control creates a potential attack surface where malicious actors could exploit the lack of proper privilege validation to manipulate hardware components, read sensitive data from connected devices, or inject false data into the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can enable attackers to compromise the integrity of hardware-level communications within the device. An attacker with local access could potentially manipulate sensor data, interfere with hardware initialization sequences, or gain unauthorized control over connected peripherals. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control, and represents a significant concern for mobile security since I2C bus access often provides direct control over critical hardware functions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in automotive applications, industrial IoT devices, or any system where hardware-level integrity is crucial for safety or security operations.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms. The lack of proper access controls on I2C bus interfaces creates opportunities for attackers to establish covert communication channels with hardware components, potentially enabling advanced persistent threats that operate below traditional software-based security detection mechanisms. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper kernel-level access controls, enforcing strict privilege validation for I2C bus operations, and ensuring that device drivers properly validate all incoming requests before executing hardware-level operations. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing runtime monitoring of I2C bus activity to detect anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of hardware-level security considerations in mobile platforms and demonstrates how low-level interface protections can significantly impact overall system security posture.