CVE-2016-3804 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The MediaTek power management driver in Android before 2016-07-05 on Android One devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28332766 and MediaTek internal bug ALPS02694410.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-3804 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the MediaTek power management driver component of Android operating systems. This issue specifically affected Android One devices released before the 2016-07-05 security update, creating a pathway for malicious actors to elevate their privileges from standard application level access to system-level administrative control. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and access control mechanisms within the driver responsible for managing power states and device power management functions.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves a kernel-level vulnerability in the MediaTek power management driver where insufficient bounds checking and privilege validation allows a crafted malicious application to manipulate kernel memory structures through specific ioctl commands. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-119 weakness category, specifically representing an improper restriction of operations within a recognized security boundary, as the driver fails to properly validate user-supplied parameters before executing privileged operations. Attackers can exploit this by creating a specially crafted application that invokes the vulnerable driver interface with malicious parameters, bypassing normal security restrictions and gaining unauthorized access to system resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the device's power management subsystem. This includes the ability to manipulate device sleep states, access protected memory regions, and potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The attack surface is particularly concerning for Android One devices which were designed to provide a clean, stock Android experience but were still vulnerable to such low-level kernel exploits. The vulnerability also demonstrates the complex security implications of hardware-specific drivers in mobile operating systems, where vendor-specific implementations can introduce unexpected attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve applying the Android security patch released on 2016-07-05, which included updated MediaTek driver components with proper input validation and privilege checks. Organizations should also implement application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications that could exploit this vulnerability, and maintain regular security updates for all mobile devices in their inventory. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper kernel security boundaries and input validation, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation techniques category. Additionally, security researchers recommend implementing runtime monitoring of driver interfaces to detect anomalous behavior patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on ioctl command sequences that deviate from normal power management operations.