CVE-2016-3926 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in a Qualcomm component in Android before 2016-10-05 on Nexus 5, 5X, 6, and 6P devices has unknown impact and attack vectors, aka internal bug 28823953.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2019
This vulnerability resides within Qualcomm's proprietary component that forms part of the Android operating system ecosystem, specifically affecting devices manufactured by Google for the Nexus series including the Nexus 5, 5X, 6, and 6P models. The vulnerability was disclosed as part of Qualcomm's internal bug tracking system under identifier 28823953 and represents an unspecified security flaw that existed in Android versions prior to the October 5, 2016 security update cycle. The lack of specific technical details in the initial CVE description suggests this may have been a critical vulnerability that required immediate patching but was not fully disclosed due to its sensitive nature or potential for exploitation. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact nature of the flaw remains partially obscured, which is common with zero-day vulnerabilities or those that are still under investigation by the vendor.
The technical nature of this vulnerability likely involves a critical flaw within Qualcomm's hardware security module or system on chip components that interface with Android's security framework. Given that this affects multiple Nexus devices from the same generation, the vulnerability probably exists within shared Qualcomm components such as the Secure Processing Unit, TrustZone implementation, or cryptographic hardware accelerators that are fundamental to device security. The unspecified impact suggests this could have been a privilege escalation vulnerability, a memory corruption issue, or a bypass of critical security mechanisms that would allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to protected system components or sensitive data. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE categories related to security architecture flaws or implementation errors in security mechanisms, potentially mapping to CWE-119 for memory safety issues or CWE-284 for improper access control.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was significant for users of affected devices, as it could have enabled attackers to compromise the security of these smartphones through various attack vectors including malicious applications, compromised Wi-Fi networks, or physical access scenarios. The Nexus 5, 5X, 6, and 6P devices were widely used and contained sensitive personal data, financial information, and corporate credentials that would be at risk if exploited. Attackers could potentially leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, access encrypted data, bypass authentication mechanisms, or establish persistent backdoors on the affected devices. The vulnerability's presence in the Android security framework meant that even if users maintained proper security hygiene, they remained at risk due to the low-level nature of the flaw within the Qualcomm hardware components that form the foundation of device security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate deployment of the October 2016 security patches released by Google and Qualcomm, which addressed the underlying security flaw in the hardware security components. Users were advised to update their devices to the latest available Android version, typically Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, which included fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations managing fleets of affected devices needed to implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all devices received the necessary updates. The vulnerability's nature also necessitated enhanced monitoring for suspicious activities on affected devices and potentially re-evaluation of security policies for users of these specific hardware platforms. Security professionals recommended implementing additional layers of protection such as application whitelisting, network segmentation, and enhanced endpoint detection measures to mitigate potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlighted the critical importance of supply chain security and the need for comprehensive testing of hardware components that interface with operating system security features, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion through hardware-level exploits.