CVE-2016-3754 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-07-01 does not limit process-memory usage, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device hang or reboot) via a crafted media file, aka internal bug 28615448.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3754 affects the mediaserver component in various Android versions, specifically targeting Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before the 2016-07-01 security patch. This flaw resides in the media processing subsystem that handles multimedia file parsing and rendering operations. The mediaserver process is responsible for decoding and processing various media formats including audio, video, and image files, making it a critical component in Android's multimedia framework. The vulnerability stems from insufficient memory management controls within this process, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered remotely through maliciously crafted media files.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the mediaserver process failing to enforce proper limits on memory consumption during media file processing operations. When a specially crafted media file is processed by the mediaserver, it can cause the process to consume excessive amounts of system memory without proper bounds checking or resource limitation mechanisms. This uncontrolled memory growth eventually leads to system instability, where the device becomes unresponsive or reboots automatically. The vulnerability operates at the system level rather than at the application level, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect the entire operating system rather than just individual applications. The flaw is categorized under CWE-772, which represents "Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime," and represents a classic resource exhaustion attack vector that can be exploited remotely.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise the overall stability and security posture of affected Android devices. Attackers can remotely trigger device hangs or reboots by simply delivering a malicious media file to a victim's device, making this a particularly concerning vulnerability for mobile platforms. The attack vector is remote and requires no user interaction beyond opening or playing the malicious media file, which can be delivered through various channels including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001, "Network Denial of Service" and T1059.007, "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript," as it enables attackers to disrupt normal device operations through crafted media content. The memory exhaustion condition can also potentially lead to more severe consequences including system crashes that might be exploited further for privilege escalation or information disclosure attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3754 primarily involve applying the relevant security patches released by Google as part of their regular security updates. Organizations and users should ensure their Android devices are updated to versions that contain the fixed mediaserver implementation with proper memory limiting controls. System administrators should implement network-level controls to prevent the delivery of potentially malicious media files through email attachments or web content filtering solutions. Additionally, mobile device management solutions should enforce automatic update policies to ensure timely patch deployment across enterprise devices. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper resource management in system-level processes and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of media processing components. Device manufacturers should implement additional runtime protections and memory monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent abnormal memory consumption patterns in critical system services. Regular security assessments of media handling components should be conducted to identify similar resource management flaws that could lead to similar denial of service conditions.