CVE-2016-3764 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
media/libmediaplayerservice/MetadataRetrieverClient.cpp in 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 allows attackers to obtain sensitive pointer information via a crafted application, aka internal bug 28377502.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3764 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Android media framework, specifically affecting the mediaserver process responsible for handling multimedia operations. This issue resides in the MetadataRetrieverClient.cpp component of the media library, which is part of the broader media player service architecture that manages audio and video processing across Android devices. The vulnerability was particularly concerning as it affected multiple Android versions including 4.x prior to 4.4.4, 5.0.x prior to 5.0.2, 5.1.x prior to 5.1.1, and 6.x prior to the 2016-07-01 security patch release, indicating a widespread impact across the Android ecosystem.
The technical flaw manifests through improper handling of pointer values within the metadata retrieval process of the mediaserver service. When a malicious application crafts specific input parameters and invokes the media server's metadata retrieval functionality, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the pointer references that are returned to the requesting application. This results in the exposure of sensitive memory addresses that can be leveraged by attackers to gain insights into the memory layout of the mediaserver process. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 as an information disclosure issue, where the attacker can obtain potentially sensitive pointer information that may aid in subsequent exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked pointer information can serve as a crucial piece of intelligence for advanced exploitation techniques. Attackers can utilize the disclosed memory addresses to perform memory layout analysis, which is particularly valuable for exploitation methods that require precise memory addressing such as return-oriented programming or other advanced binary exploitation techniques. The vulnerability enables an attacker with a crafted application to potentially map the memory space of the mediaserver process, which could facilitate more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or remote code execution. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 where adversaries may use information gathering to understand system memory structures for exploitation purposes.
The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly severe given that the mediaserver process operates with elevated privileges and handles sensitive multimedia data processing tasks. The exposure of pointer information creates opportunities for attackers to bypass memory protection mechanisms such as ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) through information leakage. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management within system services that handle untrusted input from applications. The flaw represents a classic case of improper handling of sensitive data within a privileged system component, where the lack of proper sanitization allows attackers to extract information that should remain confidential. The vulnerability was ultimately addressed through Android security updates that implemented proper pointer validation and sanitization within the metadata retrieval process, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing of system services that handle external input.