CVE-2016-6759 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in Qualcomm media codecs could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process. This issue is rated as High because it could be used to gain local access to elevated capabilities, which are not normally accessible to a third-party application. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-29982686. References: QC-CR#1055766.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-6759 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within Qualcomm's media codec implementation that affects Android devices running kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18. This issue resides in the media processing subsystem where Qualcomm's proprietary codecs handle multimedia data, creating a pathway for malicious applications to escalate their privileges and execute code with elevated permissions. The vulnerability specifically targets the kernel-level media processing components that are responsible for decoding various multimedia formats, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at a level that typically requires system-level access and privileges.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and memory handling within the Qualcomm media codec drivers, allowing a local attacker with a malicious application to manipulate the codec processing pipeline and potentially overwrite critical kernel memory structures. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category of CWE-119 which encompasses weaknesses related to insufficient protection of memory buffers and improper handling of memory operations. The exploitation mechanism likely involves crafting specially formatted multimedia content that triggers a buffer overflow or memory corruption condition within the codec processing code, which then allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the privileged process handling the media decoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables local attackers to bypass normal Android security boundaries and gain access to system-level capabilities that are typically restricted to legitimate system applications and services. Once exploited, the malicious application could access sensitive system resources, modify critical system files, install persistent backdoors, or even disable security features such as SELinux policies. This represents a significant threat to device integrity and user privacy, as the vulnerability could be leveraged to establish persistent access to the device and potentially enable further attacks against connected networks or other devices. The issue is particularly concerning because it affects the core kernel components that handle multimedia processing, making it difficult to detect and mitigate without proper system updates.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected Qualcomm kernel components and Android system updates that address the media codec processing flaws. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring for suspicious application behavior and ensure that all Android devices are kept up to date with the latest security patches from both Google and device manufacturers. The remediation process should include verifying that the patched kernel components properly validate all input data and implement proper memory protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized code execution. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement network-level monitoring to detect unusual multimedia processing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and demonstrates how kernel-level flaws can be exploited to achieve system-level access through seemingly benign media processing functions.