CVE-2016-5348 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The GPS component in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, 6.x before 2016-10-01, and 7.0 before 2016-10-01 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption, and device hang or reboot) via a large xtra.bin or xtra2.bin file on a spoofed Qualcomm gpsonextra.net or izatcloud.net host, aka internal bug 29555864.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5348 resides within the Global Positioning System component of various Android versions, specifically affecting releases prior to their respective security patches. This flaw manifests in the handling of Extended Time eXtension (XTRA) data files that are used by GPS receivers to download satellite ephemeris data. The affected versions include Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, 6.x before the 2016-10-01 security update, and 7.0 before the same security milestone. The vulnerability operates through a man-in-the-middle attack vector where an attacker can manipulate the GPS data download process by presenting maliciously crafted xtra.bin or xtra2.bin files to the device's GPS subsystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the Android GPS component's processing of XTRA data files. When the system receives a spoofed XTRA file from a compromised gpsonextra.net or izatcloud.net host, the GPS subsystem fails to properly validate the file size or content structure before attempting to process it. This lack of validation leads to a situation where oversized or malformed XTRA files can cause the device's memory allocation routines to consume excessive resources or trigger memory corruption conditions. The vulnerability specifically targets the memory consumption patterns of the GPS service, causing it to allocate progressively larger memory blocks without proper bounds checking, ultimately leading to system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise the entire device functionality. When exploited, the vulnerability causes significant memory consumption that can lead to device hangs, application crashes, or complete system reboots. The memory exhaustion occurs because the GPS subsystem does not implement proper safeguards against oversized XTRA files, allowing the attacker to consume available memory resources until the system becomes unresponsive. This behavior aligns with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service attacks, where adversaries leverage resource exhaustion to disrupt system operations. The vulnerability also maps to CWE-129, which describes improper validation of length of input buffers, and CWE-131, which addresses incorrect calculation of buffer sizes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5348 should focus on implementing robust input validation and memory management practices within the GPS subsystem. Device manufacturers and security administrators should ensure that all affected Android versions receive the appropriate security patches that include proper bounds checking for XTRA file processing. The implementation should include size validation for incoming XTRA files, memory allocation limits, and proper error handling for malformed data. Additionally, network-level protections such as DNS filtering and certificate validation can help prevent devices from connecting to spoofed GPS data hosts. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual memory consumption patterns or abnormal GPS data download behaviors that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a prime example of how insufficient input validation in system components can create severe operational impacts, particularly in mobile environments where GPS functionality is critical for device operation and user services.