CVE-2016-2436 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA video driver in Android before 2016-05-01 on Nexus 9 devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka internal bug 27299111.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2436 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the NVIDIA video driver component of Android operating systems. This weakness specifically affected Nexus 9 devices running Android versions prior to the 2016-05-01 security update, creating a significant attack vector for malicious actors to elevate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability was classified as an internal bug with the identifier 27299111, indicating its discovery within NVIDIA's internal development processes before public disclosure.
The technical nature of this flaw resides in the improper handling of privilege levels within the graphics driver subsystem, which is part of the broader Android graphics stack. When a malicious application attempted to interact with the graphics driver through specific API calls or memory manipulation techniques, the driver failed to properly validate the privilege level of the calling process. This validation failure allowed an unprivileged application to execute code with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing the operating system's security model that normally prevents applications from accessing system-level resources. The vulnerability exploited a weakness in the driver's kernel-space implementation where input validation was insufficient to prevent privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was substantial as it provided attackers with a means to completely compromise the affected devices. Once exploited, the malicious application could gain root access to the device, enabling it to modify system files, install persistent malware, access all user data, and potentially establish backdoors for future exploitation. This privilege escalation capability made the vulnerability particularly dangerous for users who might unknowingly install malicious applications from untrusted sources, as the attack could occur without user interaction or explicit consent. The vulnerability affected all Nexus 9 devices running vulnerable Android versions, creating a large attack surface that could be leveraged by threat actors to compromise numerous devices.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which addresses "Improper Privilege Management" in software systems, and represents a classic example of how graphics drivers can serve as attack vectors for privilege escalation. The flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," demonstrating how attackers can leverage system vulnerabilities to gain elevated access rights. Organizations and users should have implemented immediate mitigations through the Android security update released on 2016-05-01, which patched the vulnerability in the NVIDIA graphics driver component. The incident highlighted the importance of proper privilege validation in kernel-space drivers and the critical need for timely security updates in mobile operating systems, particularly those involving hardware-specific components like graphics drivers that operate with elevated privileges.