CVE-2016-8414 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment Communicator 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-31704078. References: QC-CR#1076407.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8414 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment Communicator component of Android devices. This issue resides in the kernel-level communication mechanisms that facilitate secure operations between the application processor and the secure execution environment. The vulnerability specifically affects Android versions utilizing kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18, making it a widespread concern across numerous device models that rely on Qualcomm's secure processing capabilities.
The technical flaw manifests through improper access controls within the secure execution environment communicator, which allows a local malicious application to escalate its privileges and access data that should be restricted to higher permission levels. This occurs through a combination of insufficient input validation and inadequate boundary checking in the communication protocols between the trusted and untrusted execution environments. The vulnerability essentially creates a pathway for privilege escalation attacks where an attacker with a compromised privileged process can leverage this flaw to extract sensitive information that would normally be protected by the secure execution environment's isolation mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security model of Android devices by undermining the fundamental principle of privilege separation between the main operating system and the secure execution environment. The moderate severity rating reflects the requirement for initial compromise of a privileged process, but this prerequisite does not diminish the potential damage. Attackers who successfully compromise a privileged application or service can exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive cryptographic keys, user credentials, and other confidential data that should remain isolated within the secure execution environment. This capability directly violates the core security assumptions of the Android security architecture and could enable sophisticated attacks such as credential theft, data exfiltration, and further system compromise.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1068, involving the exploitation of legitimate credentials and privileges. Organizations and device manufacturers should implement immediate mitigations including kernel updates, privilege restriction measures, and enhanced monitoring of communication patterns between secure and non-secure execution environments. Additionally, the Android security model requires enhanced validation of inter-process communications and stricter enforcement of access controls to prevent unauthorized data access. Device manufacturers should prioritize patch deployment and consider implementing additional runtime protections that can detect anomalous communication patterns between the application processor and secure execution environment components, particularly focusing on preventing information leakage through the Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment Communicator.