CVE-2016-8403 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in kernel components including the ION subsystem, Binder, USB driver and networking subsystem 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. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10. Android ID: A-31495348.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
This vulnerability exists within the Android kernel components and represents a significant information disclosure flaw that could potentially allow local malicious applications to access data beyond their intended permission levels. The vulnerability affects multiple kernel subsystems including the ION memory management subsystem, Binder inter-process communication mechanism, USB driver components, and networking subsystem. The issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within these kernel components, creating pathways for privilege escalation and unauthorized data access. The vulnerability requires initial compromise of a privileged process as a prerequisite for exploitation, which places it in the moderate severity category according to Android security guidelines. The affected kernel version 3.10 represents a widely deployed kernel version across various Android devices, amplifying the potential impact of this vulnerability across multiple device manufacturers and models. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and demonstrates weaknesses in kernel-level access control enforcement.
The technical flaw manifests through improper validation of access permissions within the kernel subsystems, particularly in how they handle memory allocation, process communication, and device driver operations. The ION subsystem, which manages memory allocation for graphics and multimedia operations, appears to lack sufficient bounds checking that would prevent unauthorized access to memory regions. Similarly, the Binder driver, which facilitates communication between processes, shows insufficient validation of calling process permissions when handling certain operations. The USB driver and networking components also exhibit similar access control weaknesses that could be exploited to read kernel memory or access sensitive data structures. These vulnerabilities align with CWE-200 (Information Disclosure) and CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) classifications, representing fundamental flaws in the kernel's security model. The exploitation process typically involves leveraging an existing privileged process to gain access to kernel memory regions that should normally be restricted to system-level operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data disclosure, as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation to root level access. Attackers could potentially extract sensitive information such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or confidential application data stored in kernel memory. The vulnerability's presence in multiple subsystems increases the attack surface and makes exploitation more likely, as an attacker only needs to compromise one of the affected components to potentially gain access to the entire system. The fact that this vulnerability affects the kernel level components means that traditional application-level security measures may be insufficient to prevent exploitation. Organizations deploying Android devices face significant risks including data breaches, unauthorized access to corporate information, and potential compromise of user privacy. The vulnerability's classification as moderate severity indicates that while it requires initial compromise, the potential for escalation makes it a serious concern for security professionals.
Mitigation strategies should focus on both immediate patching and architectural improvements to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future. The most effective immediate solution involves applying the relevant kernel patches that address the specific access control flaws in the affected subsystems. Organizations should prioritize updating their Android devices to versions that contain the necessary security fixes, particularly targeting kernel version 3.10 and related builds. System administrators should implement additional monitoring for suspicious kernel-level activities and consider deploying kernel integrity checking mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. The security architecture should be reviewed to ensure proper isolation between different kernel subsystems and to implement stricter access controls for memory management operations. Organizations should also consider implementing mobile device management solutions that can enforce security policies and detect anomalous behavior patterns. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, highlighting the need for comprehensive security monitoring and incident response capabilities to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts.