CVE-2016-3812 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The MediaTek video codec driver in Android before 2016-07-05 on Android One devices allows attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28174833 and MediaTek internal bug ALPS02688832.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3812 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the MediaTek video codec driver component of Android operating systems. This security weakness specifically affected Android devices released prior to July 5th, 2016, with particular impact on Android One devices that utilized MediaTek chipsets. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations within the video decoding subsystem, creating a pathway for malicious applications to extract sensitive system information that should remain protected from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a buffer over-read condition within the MediaTek video codec driver that operates at a low system level within the Android framework. When a crafted application attempts to process specially formatted video content through the vulnerable driver, the system fails to properly validate input parameters, leading to memory corruption that exposes kernel-level data structures. This flaw operates at the intersection of kernel space and user space execution contexts, where the driver's insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to read beyond allocated memory regions and potentially access sensitive information stored in adjacent memory locations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to Android device users as it enables attackers to obtain confidential information that could include system memory contents, kernel pointers, and potentially other sensitive data that might aid in further exploitation attempts. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as this type of vulnerability often serves as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, potentially allowing threat actors to gain insights into system memory layout and kernel structures that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or additional exploit development. The vulnerability affects devices running Android versions prior to the July 2016 security patch, making it particularly concerning for users who had not yet received security updates.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve applying the appropriate security patches released by Google and device manufacturers, which include updated kernel components and driver modifications that properly validate input parameters and implement proper memory boundary checking. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the July 2016 Android security updates, particularly for devices that remain in use and have not received subsequent security patches. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability, while also monitoring for any suspicious network activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a classic example of how low-level driver vulnerabilities can provide attackers with foundational information needed for more advanced exploitation techniques, potentially mapping to ATT&CK technique T1068 for local privilege escalation through kernel exploits.