CVE-2016-10492 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, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, 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, improper ciphersuite validation leads SecSSL accept an unadvertised ciphersuite.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2020
This vulnerability exists within the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile chipsets and affects Android devices released before the 2018-04-05 security patch level. The issue stems from inadequate validation of cryptographic ciphersuites within the Secure SSL implementation, specifically in the cryptographic subsystem that handles secure communications. The flaw allows the system to accept ciphersuites that were not properly advertised or authorized during the initial handshake process, creating a potential security weakness in the TLS/SSL protocol implementation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation mechanism within the cryptographic library that processes SSL/TLS connections. When establishing secure communications, the system should strictly validate that only ciphersuites explicitly advertised by the server are accepted. However, due to the flawed validation logic, the system permits the acceptance of ciphersuites that were not part of the original advertisement, effectively bypassing intended security controls. This behavior creates a potential attack surface where malicious actors could exploit the system to negotiate connections using weaker or unauthorized cryptographic parameters.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability compromises the integrity of secure communications on affected devices, potentially allowing attackers to downgrade encryption levels or force the use of weaker cryptographic algorithms. The impact extends across multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms including various SD series processors, MDM modems, and their associated mobile devices. This affects a significant portion of the Android mobile ecosystem, particularly devices that rely on Qualcomm's cryptographic implementations for secure communications. The vulnerability could enable man-in-the-middle attacks, data interception, or session hijacking scenarios where attackers exploit the relaxed ciphersuite validation to weaken the security of encrypted connections.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak or broken cryptographic algorithms, and relates to the broader category of cryptographic implementation flaws. From an attack framework perspective, this issue maps to the MITRE ATT&CK technique of Credential Access through cryptographic attacks, potentially enabling adversaries to compromise secure communications channels. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, ensuring that all affected devices receive the relevant security updates. Additionally, network administrators should monitor for unusual cryptographic handshake patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and consider implementing additional network-level controls to detect and prevent unauthorized ciphersuite negotiation attempts. The remediation process requires updating the Qualcomm Snapdragon firmware and Android system components to properly validate ciphersuite advertisements and enforce strict cryptographic protocol compliance.