CVE-2016-2444 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA media driver in Android before 2016-05-01 on Nexus 9 devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka internal bug 27208332.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2444 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the NVIDIA media driver component of Android systems, specifically affecting Nexus 9 devices prior to the 2016-05-01 security update. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper access control mechanisms within the media driver subsystem that processes multimedia content. The vulnerability allows malicious applications to exploit kernel-level components and elevate their privileges from standard user context to system-level access, creating a significant security risk for affected devices.
The technical flaw manifests through improper handling of media processing commands within the NVIDIA Tegra graphics processing unit driver. When a crafted application attempts to process specially constructed multimedia content, the driver fails to properly validate input parameters and memory access boundaries. This insufficient validation creates a path for attackers to manipulate kernel memory structures and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability specifically affects the interaction between the Android media framework and the underlying NVIDIA hardware driver, where buffer overflow conditions or memory corruption can occur during media decoding operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to completely compromise affected Nexus 9 devices by gaining root-level access. Once exploited, malicious actors can install persistent backdoors, modify system files, extract sensitive user data, and potentially establish footholds for further network infiltration. The attack vector requires only a malicious application that can be installed on the device, making it particularly dangerous as users may unknowingly grant permissions to compromised applications. The vulnerability affects the core multimedia processing capabilities of the device, potentially rendering the system unstable or completely compromised.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques focusing on privilege escalation and kernel-level attacks, specifically mapping to techniques such as "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and "Kernel Modules and Extensions." This flaw also relates to CWE-119, which addresses "Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer," and CWE-269, which covers "Improper Privilege Management." Organizations should implement immediate patch management protocols to address this vulnerability, ensuring all Nexus 9 devices receive the Android security update released in May 2016. Additionally, device administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies and monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of comprehensive security testing for hardware driver components and highlights the critical need for robust input validation in kernel-level software components.