CVE-2016-3824 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
omx/OMXNodeInstance.cpp in libstagefright 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 2016-08-01 does not validate the buffer port, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka internal bug 28816827.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3824 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the Android media processing framework known as libstagefright. This issue affects multiple Android versions including 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 specified date, creating a widespread attack surface across numerous device models and firmware versions. The vulnerability specifically resides in the omx/OMXNodeInstance.cpp file within the mediaserver component, which serves as the core media processing daemon responsible for handling multimedia operations across the Android platform.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of buffer port parameters within the libstagefright library implementation. When processing multimedia content, the media server performs operations on buffer ports that handle data flow between different components of the multimedia framework. The absence of proper validation allows malicious applications to manipulate these buffer port parameters through crafted media files or streams, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution with elevated privileges. This weakness directly maps to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and more specifically to CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. The flaw enables attackers to exploit the media processing pipeline to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the mediaserver process, which typically runs with system-level access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows attackers to achieve privilege escalation from regular application context to system-level privileges without requiring physical device access or user interaction beyond installing a malicious application. The mediaserver process operates with significant system permissions, making successful exploitation particularly dangerous as it could enable full device compromise, data theft, or persistent backdoor installation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by creating specially crafted media files that trigger the flawed buffer validation logic, potentially leading to complete system takeover. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation', and represents a classic example of how multimedia processing components can serve as attack vectors for system-level compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3824 require immediate system updates and patches from Android vendors, as the vulnerability affects core system components that cannot be easily bypassed through application-level security measures. Device manufacturers should prioritize rolling out security updates to affected Android versions, with particular attention to the specific build dates mentioned in the vulnerability description. Network administrators and security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious media file handling activities and consider temporary network restrictions on media file downloads from untrusted sources. The patching process should focus on strengthening input validation within the OMXNodeInstance.cpp file, ensuring that all buffer port parameters are properly validated before processing. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict media processing capabilities and reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability underscores the importance of secure coding practices in system-level components and the critical need for thorough input validation in multimedia frameworks.