CVE-2016-2500 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
Activity Manager in Android 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-06-01 does not properly terminate process groups, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information ia a crafted application, aka internal bug 19285814.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2500 resides within the Activity Manager component of Android operating systems, specifically affecting versions 5.0.x prior to 5.0.2, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.1, and Android 6.0 releases before the 2016-06-01 security update. This flaw represents a critical weakness in the system's process management architecture that enables unauthorized information disclosure through malicious application exploitation. The vulnerability stems from improper termination of process groups within the Android framework, creating persistent access vectors that can be leveraged by attackers to extract sensitive data from compromised systems.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the Activity Manager's failure to correctly handle process group termination when applications are shut down or replaced. When an application is terminated, the system should ensure that all associated processes within the same process group are properly cleaned up and that no residual components maintain access to sensitive resources. However, the flaw allows process group remnants to persist in memory, potentially maintaining access to shared resources, cached data, or inter-process communication channels that should have been destroyed upon application termination. This improper resource cleanup creates a persistent attack surface where malicious actors can exploit the lingering process components to access information that should have been isolated or destroyed.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to Android device security and user privacy. Attackers can craft malicious applications that exploit this weakness to obtain sensitive information from other running applications or system processes. The vulnerability essentially allows for information leakage across process boundaries, potentially enabling data exfiltration, credential theft, or access to confidential communications. Given that the affected versions span multiple Android releases, the potential impact covers a substantial portion of the Android user base that was vulnerable to this specific process management flaw. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-264, which addresses permissions, privileges, and access control issues, and demonstrates how improper process management can create security weaknesses that bypass traditional access control mechanisms.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential privilege escalation and lateral movement within compromised systems. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can effectively bypass the normal isolation mechanisms that separate applications and system processes, creating a persistent backdoor that can be used to access sensitive data or escalate privileges. This weakness particularly affects Android devices that have not received the relevant security patches, leaving users exposed to sophisticated attacks that can exploit the process group termination flaw to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability's impact is further amplified by the fact that it operates at the system level within the Android framework, making it difficult to detect and mitigate through standard application-level security measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-2500 require immediate deployment of security patches provided by Google and device manufacturers, as well as implementation of proper process group management monitoring within enterprise environments. Organizations should ensure all Android devices are updated to versions that address this specific process termination flaw, with particular attention to the security updates released in June 2016. Additionally, security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious process behavior and ensure that application lifecycle management is properly enforced to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which addresses command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers may attempt to leverage the persistent process components to execute malicious commands or scripts. Device administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as application sandboxing and process isolation measures to reduce the attack surface and limit potential exploitation of similar process management vulnerabilities.