CVE-2016-6687 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA profiler in Android before 2016-10-05 on Nexus 9 devices allows attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted application, aka internal bug 30162222.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6687 represents a significant security flaw within the NVIDIA profiler component of Android systems, specifically affecting Nexus 9 devices prior to the October 5, 2016 security update. This issue falls under the category of information disclosure vulnerabilities, where an attacker can exploit a weakness in the system to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The NVIDIA profiler is a diagnostic and performance monitoring tool that typically operates with elevated privileges to collect system metrics and profiling information. The flaw allows a malicious application to craft specific requests or manipulate the profiler interface in ways that should not be permitted, thereby enabling information leakage that could compromise system security and user privacy.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and privilege escalation mechanisms within the NVIDIA profiler implementation. When a crafted application attempts to interact with the profiler component, it can bypass normal access controls and retrieve information that should remain restricted to system-level processes or authorized administrators. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control measures where the profiler interface does not properly validate the identity or permissions of applications attempting to access its functionality. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the system level within the Android framework, allowing attackers to potentially extract sensitive system information, memory contents, or other confidential data that could be used for further exploitation or analysis.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6687 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates potential attack vectors for more sophisticated exploits. An attacker who successfully leverages this vulnerability could gain insights into the device's internal architecture, system configurations, or performance metrics that could be valuable for crafting targeted attacks against other system components. The vulnerability affects a specific device model (Nexus 9) but represents a broader class of issues that can occur when system-level profilers and diagnostic tools are not properly secured against unauthorized access. This weakness demonstrates the importance of securing all components within mobile operating systems, particularly those that provide diagnostic capabilities and access to low-level system information. The vulnerability also highlights the risks associated with hardware-specific components like NVIDIA's profiler that may have different security considerations than standard Android system components.
Organizations and users should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Android security updates released on October 5, 2016, which addressed this specific vulnerability. The patch would typically involve strengthening access controls within the NVIDIA profiler component and ensuring that only properly authenticated and authorized applications can interact with the diagnostic interfaces. System administrators should also consider monitoring for suspicious activity related to profiler access patterns and implementing additional security controls such as application sandboxing or privilege restriction mechanisms. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under system information discovery and privilege escalation techniques. The issue also relates to CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and demonstrates the critical importance of securing system-level diagnostic tools that can provide attackers with valuable information about the underlying system architecture. This vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of system components, particularly those that operate with elevated privileges and provide access to sensitive system information.