CVE-2016-10502 in Snapdragon Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
While generating trusted application id, An integer overflow can occur giving the trusted application an invalid identity in Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear in versions MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 835 and SDA660.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10502 represents a critical integer overflow condition within the Trusted Application ID generation mechanism of Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile and wearable platforms. This flaw affects multiple generations of Qualcomm's mobile processors including the MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 835, and SDA660 chipsets. The issue stems from improper handling of integer values during the trusted application identification process, creating a scenario where arithmetic operations exceed the maximum representable value for the data type involved.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs during the generation of trusted application identifiers within the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment. When the system attempts to calculate or validate application IDs, it processes integer values that can exceed their maximum capacity, leading to wraparound behavior where the value resets to zero or negative numbers. This overflow condition fundamentally compromises the integrity of the application identity system, allowing malicious actors to potentially manipulate or bypass the trusted application validation mechanisms. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices that should prevent such arithmetic overflows in security-critical components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple identification issues, as it can enable unauthorized applications to masquerade as legitimate trusted applications within the secure execution environment. Attackers could exploit this condition to gain elevated privileges or bypass security controls that depend on proper application identity validation. The affected platforms are widely deployed in mobile devices, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a threat perspective. The compromised identity validation could potentially allow for privilege escalation attacks, where malicious applications might gain access to sensitive system resources or data that should be restricted to legitimate trusted applications. This vulnerability directly impacts the fundamental security model of Qualcomm's secure execution environment and undermines the integrity of the device's security framework.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and Qualcomm to address the integer overflow condition in the application ID generation logic. Organizations should implement comprehensive device inventory management to identify affected platforms and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. System administrators should monitor for any unusual application behavior or unauthorized access attempts that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The security community should consider implementing runtime monitoring for suspicious integer arithmetic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, device manufacturers should review their secure element implementations and validate all integer operations within security-critical code paths to prevent similar conditions. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper integer handling in security-sensitive contexts and highlights the need for rigorous code reviews and static analysis of cryptographic and identity management components. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the execution environment and system integrity domains.