CVE-2016-8407 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, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-31802656.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8407 represents a significant information disclosure flaw within Android's kernel components that affects multiple subsystems including ION memory management, Binder inter-process communication mechanism, USB driver functionality, and networking infrastructure. This vulnerability resides in the kernel level implementations of Android's operating system and specifically impacts kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18, which were widely deployed across various Android devices during the affected period. The issue stems from inadequate access controls and permission validation mechanisms that allow unauthorized data access through legitimate kernel interfaces.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to first compromise a privileged process, which then serves as a foothold for accessing restricted kernel memory regions and data structures. The flaw manifests in the improper validation of access permissions within kernel subsystems, particularly affecting how ION subsystem manages memory allocation and how Binder handles inter-process communication requests. When a malicious application gains control of a privileged process, it can leverage kernel-level interfaces to read memory locations that should normally be restricted to system-level components. This occurs because the kernel components lack proper bounds checking and access validation mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized data access across privilege boundaries.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-8407 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates potential pathways for escalation attacks and data exfiltration. Attackers could potentially extract sensitive system information, credentials, or confidential data from kernel memory spaces, which could then be used for further exploitation or lateral movement within the system. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of Android by undermining the isolation between different privilege levels within the kernel, potentially allowing a compromised application to access data that should remain protected. This issue particularly impacts devices running kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18, which were prevalent in many Android smartphones and tablets during the time of discovery.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve applying kernel updates and patches that address the specific access control flaws in the affected subsystems. Device manufacturers and Android developers should prioritize updating kernel versions to patched releases that include proper access validation mechanisms for all affected components including ION memory management, Binder communication channels, USB drivers, and networking interfaces. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper information exposure, and follows ATT&CK technique T1059 for privilege escalation and information gathering. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring for suspicious kernel-level access patterns and maintain up-to-date security patches across all Android devices to prevent exploitation of this and similar kernel-level vulnerabilities.