CVE-2016-10466 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, 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, during SSL handshake, if RNG function (crypto API) returns error, SSL uses hard-coded random value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2020
This vulnerability affects Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms and represents a critical cryptographic weakness in the Android security implementation. The issue stems from improper error handling within the random number generation process during SSL/TLS handshakes, creating a deterministic fallback mechanism that undermines the fundamental security properties of cryptographic protocols. When the random number generator function fails to produce valid entropy, the system resorts to using a hard-coded random value instead of properly failing the connection, which creates predictable cryptographic states that can be exploited by attackers.
The technical flaw manifests in the cryptographic API layer where error conditions from the random number generator are not properly propagated or handled. According to CWE-330, this represents a use of insufficiently random values, which directly impacts the security of cryptographic operations. During SSL handshake processes, the system should fail immediately when it cannot obtain sufficient entropy for secure key generation, but instead continues with predictable values that compromise the entire cryptographic session. This vulnerability affects a wide range of Qualcomm chipsets including the MDM9206, MDM9607, and various SD series processors, indicating a systemic issue within the hardware-software integration of these platforms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks and decrypt secure communications. The use of hard-coded random values during SSL handshakes creates predictable session keys that can be reverse-engineered, effectively nullifying the encryption provided by SSL/TLS protocols. This weakness enables attackers to intercept and potentially modify encrypted communications between mobile devices and servers, compromising sensitive data transmission. The vulnerability exists across multiple generations of Snapdragon processors, suggesting that it was either introduced early in the platform design or resulted from a common implementation pattern that was not properly addressed in security patch updates.
From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1046 (Network Service Scanning) as attackers can exploit the predictable cryptographic state to establish unauthorized connections or intercept communications. The vulnerability also relates to T1552 (Unsecured Credentials) and T1553 (Subvert Trust Controls) since it undermines the trust mechanisms that secure communications rely upon. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Qualcomm and Android, monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and considering temporary network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful attacks. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of proper error handling in cryptographic implementations and the need for robust entropy sources in mobile platform security architectures.