CVE-2016-3866 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The Qualcomm sound driver in Android before 2016-09-05 on Nexus 5X, 6, and 6P devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28868303 and Qualcomm internal bug CR1032820.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3866 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the Qualcomm sound driver component of Android operating systems. This issue affects specific Nexus devices including the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, and Nexus 6P models, with the vulnerability being addressed in Android security patches released on or before September 5, 2016. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and privilege management within the kernel-level sound driver implementation, creating a pathway for malicious applications to escalate their privileges from standard user-level access to system-level administrative privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a crafted application that leverages improper bounds checking and memory management within the Qualcomm audio driver subsystem. Attackers can manipulate the driver's handling of audio data structures and system calls to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" conditions where insufficient control of data elements in a buffer leads to privilege escalation. The underlying mechanism involves the sound driver's failure to properly validate input parameters when processing audio control commands, allowing attackers to overwrite critical memory locations and manipulate the execution flow of the driver.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to achieve complete system compromise without requiring physical access or specialized hardware. Once exploited, the malicious application gains root-level privileges, allowing unrestricted access to all system resources, including the ability to read or modify any file, install malware, monitor user activities, and potentially disable security mechanisms. This privilege escalation capability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and represents one of the most dangerous attack vectors in mobile security contexts. The vulnerability affects devices running Android versions prior to the September 2016 security update, leaving millions of users exposed to potential exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3866 primarily focus on applying the official Android security patches released by Google and Qualcomm. Users should ensure their devices are updated to Android 6.0 or later versions with the relevant security fixes. Additionally, security administrators should implement application whitelisting policies to prevent the installation and execution of untrusted applications that could exploit this vulnerability. Network-level monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious patterns of audio driver access and privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure driver development practices, particularly around input validation and privilege separation, as outlined in the OWASP Mobile Security Project's recommendations for secure mobile application development. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their mobile device management policies to ensure comprehensive protection against similar kernel-level vulnerabilities.