CVE-2016-3769 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA video driver in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 9 devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28376656.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3769 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the NVIDIA video driver component of Android operating systems. This security weakness specifically affected Nexus 9 devices running Android versions prior to the 2016-07-05 security patch release, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries could exploit to elevate their privileges from standard application level access to system-level administrative control. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory management within the graphics driver subsystem, which forms part of the broader Android security framework that governs hardware abstraction layer interactions.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves a buffer overflow or memory corruption vulnerability within the NVIDIA Tegra graphics processing unit driver that handles graphics rendering commands from applications. Attackers could craft malicious applications that exploit this weakness to manipulate kernel memory structures, bypassing normal security boundaries that separate user-space applications from the privileged kernel space. This particular vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios, both of which are common attack vectors in kernel-level privilege escalation exploits. The underlying mechanism allows unauthorized code execution within the kernel context, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the Android security model.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete system compromise capabilities for attackers who can successfully exploit it. Once an attacker gains elevated privileges through this vector, they can manipulate system files, install malicious applications with full system permissions, access encrypted data, modify security settings, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Nexus 9 devices were widely deployed and the vulnerability existed for an extended period without patching. This flaw directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes locally executed malicious code to elevate privileges, and T1543, which covers creating or modifying system level persistent mechanisms. The vulnerability affects the core Android security architecture by undermining the principle of least privilege and the kernel security model that should prevent such unauthorized access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of the Android security patch released on 2016-07-05, which addressed the specific driver implementation issues within the NVIDIA graphics subsystem. Organizations should implement comprehensive device management policies that enforce timely security updates and maintain inventory tracking of all Android devices to ensure patch compliance. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while endpoint protection systems should be enhanced to detect suspicious kernel-level activity. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications that could potentially exploit this vulnerability, and conduct regular security assessments of mobile device environments to identify similar weaknesses in other hardware components or software stacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the critical nature of driver security in mobile operating systems.