CVE-2016-3680 in Mate 8 NXT-AL
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the Wi-Fi driver in Huawei Mate 8 NXT-AL before NXT-AL10C00B182, NXT-CL before NXT-CL00C92B182, NXT-DL before NXT-DL00C17B182, and NXT-TL before NXT-TL00C01B182 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly gain privileges via a crafted application, aka HWPSIRT-2016-03020.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3680 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the Wi-Fi driver component of Huawei Mate 8 devices. This flaw affects multiple variants of the Nexus series including NXT-AL, NXT-CL, NXT-DL, and NXT-TL models with specific firmware versions prior to the mentioned build numbers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the wireless networking driver that processes incoming data packets. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious applications that trigger the buffer overflow when the Wi-Fi driver attempts to handle malformed or oversized data structures during network communication processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests as a classic stack-based buffer overflow within the kernel-level Wi-Fi driver module. When legitimate network traffic or specially crafted malicious applications attempt to establish or maintain Wi-Fi connections, the driver fails to properly validate the length and content of incoming data buffers. This validation failure allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical system structures including return addresses, function pointers, or other control data. The vulnerability specifically impacts the driver's handling of wireless network management frames and data transmission protocols, creating opportunities for both denial of service and privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple device instability, presenting significant security risks to users and organizations. The primary immediate effect is a denial of service condition that can cause the device to crash or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the Wi-Fi connectivity inoperable and disrupting network communications. However, the more concerning aspect involves potential privilege escalation opportunities that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. This capability enables adversaries to bypass normal access controls and potentially gain root-level access to the device, leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects devices running older firmware versions that were not patched against this specific buffer overflow condition, making the attack surface particularly broad among the affected device population.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the buffer overflow condition in the Wi-Fi driver module. System administrators and users should prioritize updating affected devices to the latest firmware versions that contain patches for the specific memory handling flaws. Network administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on wireless network management frames. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a typical example of how kernel-level driver vulnerabilities can create persistent security risks. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would be classified under the privilege escalation category in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the 'Exploit Public-Facing Application' and 'Privilege Escalation' techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while maintaining awareness of similar vulnerabilities in other device drivers and system components that might present comparable risks.