CVE-2016-6782 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the MediaTek driver could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10. Android ID: A-31224389. References: MT-ALPS02943506.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
The CVE-2016-6782 vulnerability represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within MediaTek driver components that operates at the kernel level within Android systems. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and privilege handling mechanisms within the MediaTek kernel driver implementation, creating a pathway for malicious applications to escalate their privileges from user-level processes to kernel-level execution. The flaw specifically affects Android devices running kernel version 3.10 and is classified as High severity due to the substantial privilege escalation potential it provides to attackers who have already compromised a privileged process.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a flaw in how the MediaTek driver handles certain kernel-level operations and memory management functions. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, effectively bypassing the standard Android security model that separates user applications from system-level processes. The vulnerability manifests when a malicious application attempts to manipulate specific driver interfaces or system calls that should be restricted to privileged processes only. This creates an unauthorized code execution context where the malicious application can manipulate kernel memory, modify system functions, or gain complete control over device operations.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2016-6782 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally undermines the core security architecture of Android devices. The vulnerability enables attackers to establish persistent backdoors, modify system binaries, access encrypted data, and potentially compromise the entire device. The requirement for an initial compromise of a privileged process means that attackers typically need to first gain access through other attack vectors such as phishing, malicious applications, or previously exploited vulnerabilities. Once the initial compromise occurs, the kernel-level privilege escalation allows for complete device takeover and persistent access that can be maintained across reboots.
Security professionals should implement layered mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including immediate patching of affected MediaTek driver components and kernel updates to the latest security versions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper privileges and access control mechanisms within kernel-level components, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through kernel exploits. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Android device fleets and implement robust application sandboxing policies to prevent malicious applications from reaching the kernel-level exploitation phase. Additionally, continuous monitoring of system call patterns and memory access behaviors can help detect potential exploitation attempts of this and similar kernel-level vulnerabilities.