CVE-2016-10421 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, key material is not always cleared properly.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2020
This vulnerability affects Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile and wearable chipsets across multiple generations including MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, and various SD series processors. The flaw resides in the improper handling of cryptographic key material during memory operations, creating persistent security risks that extend beyond typical operational boundaries. The vulnerability specifically impacts Android devices released before the 2018-04-05 security patch level, indicating a significant window of exposure for affected hardware platforms. This issue represents a critical weakness in the cryptographic subsystem where sensitive key data remains accessible in memory even after cryptographic operations should have completed, violating fundamental security principles of key material lifecycle management.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate memory sanitization procedures within the cryptographic processing units of these Qualcomm chipsets. When cryptographic operations are performed, key material should be immediately cleared from memory locations to prevent potential extraction through memory inspection techniques. However, the vulnerability allows key material to persist in memory caches, buffers, or registers, creating opportunities for sophisticated attackers to recover sensitive cryptographic information. This behavior directly correlates to CWE-254, which addresses weaknesses in cryptographic implementations related to improper key handling and memory management. The persistence of key material in memory creates a direct pathway for attackers to exploit memory corruption vulnerabilities or perform side-channel attacks against the cryptographic subsystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across numerous mobile platforms and represents a systemic weakness in Qualcomm's cryptographic implementation that affects millions of devices globally. Devices utilizing affected Snapdragon chipsets become vulnerable to persistent key recovery attacks, where attackers can potentially extract encryption keys, authentication credentials, or other sensitive cryptographic material from memory. This vulnerability particularly impacts the security of encrypted communications, secure boot processes, and device authentication mechanisms that rely on proper key material handling. The attack surface is broad due to the widespread adoption of these chipsets across various Android device manufacturers, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it affects multiple device categories from entry-level smartphones to high-end flagships. The vulnerability can be leveraged to compromise secure communications, bypass authentication mechanisms, and potentially enable full device compromise through key recovery attacks.
Mitigation strategies should focus on applying the latest security patches from device manufacturers, which typically include firmware updates that address the memory clearing mechanisms in the cryptographic subsystem. Organizations should implement comprehensive device inventory management to identify all affected devices and prioritize patch deployment based on risk assessment. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper key material lifecycle management and memory sanitization in embedded cryptographic systems. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through memory analysis tools and implement network-based detection measures to identify potential attacks targeting this vulnerability. Additionally, device manufacturers should consider implementing hardware-level mitigations or firmware-based memory clearing mechanisms to prevent similar issues in future implementations. The remediation process requires careful coordination between chipset vendors, operating system developers, and device manufacturers to ensure complete coverage of affected platforms, as this vulnerability affects multiple generations of Qualcomm processors with varying memory management implementations.