CVE-2016-3681 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-2016-03021.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3681 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Wi-Fi driver component of Huawei Mate 8 devices. This issue 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 flaw resides in the wireless network driver implementation that processes incoming Wi-Fi frames and data packets, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered through malicious application code. The buffer overflow occurs when the driver fails to properly validate input lengths or boundaries during packet processing, allowing an attacker to write beyond allocated memory regions. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 buffer overflow category, specifically classified as a stack-based buffer overflow that can result in arbitrary code execution or system instability. The attack vector requires a crafted application to be installed and executed on the target device, making it particularly concerning for mobile environments where users may unknowingly install malicious software from untrusted sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable privilege escalation attacks. When exploited, the buffer overflow can cause the Wi-Fi driver to crash and restart, leading to complete system instability and denial of service for network connectivity. More critically, the flaw could allow attackers to elevate their privileges within the system, potentially gaining root access to the device's operating environment. This represents a significant security risk for mobile devices where the Wi-Fi driver operates with elevated privileges to manage network communications. The vulnerability's exploitation capability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves the use of local privilege escalation to gain higher-level system access. The impact affects the device's integrity and availability, potentially compromising sensitive user data stored on the device or transmitted through the network. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in input validation and memory management within the device's kernel-level driver components, which operate outside the normal application sandbox.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3681 primarily involve firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying buffer overflow condition in the Wi-Fi driver. Users should immediately install available security patches that correct the memory boundary checking and input validation routines within the driver code. Network administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious application installations on managed devices and consider device hardening measures to prevent unauthorized applications from being executed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management in embedded systems, particularly in mobile device drivers where memory corruption can lead to complete system compromise. Organizations should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify affected devices and implement patch management procedures to ensure timely remediation. Security researchers should monitor for similar vulnerabilities in other mobile device drivers and report findings to appropriate vendors through responsible disclosure channels. The flaw serves as a reminder of the critical need for robust security testing in mobile operating systems, particularly in kernel modules that handle network communications and have elevated privilege levels. Device manufacturers should implement more rigorous code review processes and static analysis tools to identify potential buffer overflow conditions before deployment. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of secure coding practices and adherence to security standards such as those outlined in the CERT Secure Coding Standards for embedded systems and mobile platforms.