CVE-2016-6749 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-30228438. References: Qualcomm QC-CR#1052818.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2022
This vulnerability represents a significant information disclosure flaw affecting multiple Qualcomm driver components within Android systems prior to November 5, 2016. 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 at the kernel level where privilege separation mechanisms fail to properly enforce access controls, allowing unauthorized data access through compromised driver interfaces. This weakness directly impacts the Android security model's integrity by undermining the principle of least privilege that governs application permissions and system resource access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation and access control mechanisms within Qualcomm's proprietary driver code that interfaces with Android's kernel space. When a malicious application successfully compromises a privileged process, it can leverage the flawed driver components to traverse normal permission boundaries and access sensitive data that should remain restricted to system-level processes. The vulnerability's classification as Moderate reflects the requirement for initial compromise of a privileged process, which serves as a prerequisite for exploitation but does not eliminate the serious security implications. This aligns with CWE-284 access control weaknesses that occur when system components fail to properly enforce authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data disclosure, as it creates potential pathways for escalation attacks and privilege abuse within Android environments. Attackers can exploit this weakness to access sensitive system information, communication data, and potentially gain deeper system access through subsequent exploitation steps. The affected drivers represent critical system interfaces that handle various hardware functions, making the attack surface particularly dangerous. This vulnerability demonstrates the challenges inherent in securing complex embedded systems where multiple proprietary components must interoperate within a unified security framework, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1068 for local privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require comprehensive system updates including the November 2016 Android security patches that address the specific driver flaws. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of these updates across all affected devices, particularly those handling sensitive data or operating in high-security environments. The fix typically involves strengthening access control validation within the affected driver components and implementing proper privilege separation mechanisms that prevent unauthorized data access. Additional protective measures include regular security audits of kernel components, implementation of runtime monitoring for suspicious driver access patterns, and maintaining updated threat intelligence to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access control policies to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while ensuring proper patch management procedures are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from arising in the future.