CVE-2016-3907 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in Qualcomm components including the GPU driver, power driver, SMSM Point-to-Point driver, and sound driver in Android before 2016-11-05 could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. This issue is rated as Moderate because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Android ID: A-30593266. References: Qualcomm QC-CR#1054352.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw affecting multiple Qualcomm driver components within Android systems prior to the 2016-11-05 security patch. The issue manifests in the GPU driver, power driver, SMSM Point-to-Point driver, and sound driver, creating a pathway for local malicious applications to access data beyond their intended permission boundaries. The vulnerability operates through improper access control mechanisms within these kernel-level drivers, allowing privilege escalation from unprivileged user-space processes to privileged kernel-space operations. This type of flaw directly aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically targeting improper privilege management in system drivers. The vulnerability requires an initial compromise of a privileged process as a prerequisite, which places it in the moderate severity category according to standard risk assessment methodologies. However, the potential impact remains significant as it enables lateral movement and data exfiltration within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the affected Qualcomm drivers. When malicious applications attempt to interact with these drivers through system calls or device interfaces, they can exploit buffer overflows, improper pointer dereferences, or missing access checks to read kernel memory locations that should remain protected. The SMSM Point-to-Point driver particularly presents a high-risk scenario as it handles inter-process communication between different system components, creating potential attack vectors for information leakage. These drivers operate with elevated privileges to manage hardware resources effectively, but the improper access controls allow unauthorized data access that violates fundamental security principles of privilege separation.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates substantial risks for Android devices as it enables local privilege escalation attacks that can bypass standard Android security models. Attackers can leverage this flaw to extract sensitive information such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or confidential application data stored in kernel memory spaces. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it can facilitate further exploitation attempts including full system compromise, root access acquisition, or persistent backdoor establishment. Mobile devices running vulnerable versions become particularly susceptible to targeted attacks from sophisticated threat actors who can use this vulnerability as a stepping stone for more advanced exploitation techniques. The vulnerability affects all Android devices using Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, creating a widespread impact across multiple device manufacturers and models.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include applying the Android security patch released on 2016-11-05, which addresses the specific driver-level access control issues. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as kernel address space layout randomization, strict SELinux policies, and regular security audits of device drivers. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper driver security testing and code review processes, particularly for components that handle inter-process communication and hardware access. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime monitoring solutions to detect anomalous driver behavior or unauthorized memory access attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and information gathering phases, making it a critical concern for mobile threat defense programs. The issue underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date firmware and security patches across all system components, particularly in enterprise environments where mobile device security is paramount.