CVE-2016-6753 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in kernel components, including the process-grouping subsystem and the networking subsystem, 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-30149174.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2022
This vulnerability represents a significant information disclosure flaw within Android's kernel components that affects systems prior to the 2016-11-05 security update. The issue specifically targets the process-grouping subsystem and networking subsystem, creating a pathway for local malicious applications to bypass normal permission boundaries and access data that should be restricted to higher privilege levels. The vulnerability requires initial compromise of a privileged process as a prerequisite, which aligns with the moderate severity rating, though it still represents a serious escalation risk. The affected kernel subsystems are critical to Android's security architecture, as they govern how processes interact with system resources and maintain isolation between different application contexts.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from improper access control mechanisms within the kernel's process management and network handling components. When a malicious application successfully compromises a privileged process, it can leverage the flawed kernel subsystems to enumerate and access memory regions or data structures that should normally be protected from lower-privilege processes. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-200 category of "Information Exposure" and specifically relates to improper restriction of access to protected data within the operating system kernel. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the kernel's capability to maintain proper privilege separation between different process groups, allowing for unauthorized data access that could include sensitive user information, system configuration data, or other protected resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage, as it enables a sophisticated attack vector that can be leveraged for further compromise of the Android system. Once a malicious application gains access to elevated data through this information disclosure mechanism, it can potentially extract credentials, personal information, application data, or system configuration details that would normally be protected. Attackers could use this access to build more comprehensive attack strategies, including credential harvesting, data exfiltration, or even further privilege escalation within the system. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of Android's kernel implementation, undermining the isolation guarantees that are essential for maintaining user privacy and system integrity. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in mobile environments where users expect robust protection of their personal data and application contexts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require both immediate patching and ongoing system hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize applying the security update released on 2016-11-05 to address the kernel-level flaw directly. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious process behavior and access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust application sandboxing controls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, as attackers could use the information disclosure to gather intelligence for more sophisticated attacks. Regular security assessments of kernel components and process isolation mechanisms should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses that could enable similar information disclosure scenarios. The incident also underscores the critical need for continuous vulnerability assessment and prompt remediation of kernel-level security flaws that could undermine the entire operating system security architecture.