CVE-2016-8460 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in the NVIDIA video driver could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. This issue is rated as High because it could be used to access sensitive data without explicit user permission. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10. Android ID: A-31668540. References: N-CVE-2016-8460.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8460 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within NVIDIA video drivers integrated into Android systems running kernel version 3.10. This security weakness resides in the graphics processing unit driver component that manages hardware acceleration for graphical operations and multimedia processing. The vulnerability specifically affects the Android operating system platform where NVIDIA's proprietary graphics drivers are implemented, creating a potential attack vector that could be exploited by malicious applications with local access to the device. The issue stems from inadequate memory management and access control mechanisms within the driver's implementation, allowing unauthorized data access beyond normal application permission boundaries. This flaw impacts the fundamental security model of Android systems by potentially enabling privilege escalation through graphics driver interfaces.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper memory protection mechanisms within the NVIDIA driver's kernel modules that handle graphics processing commands and data buffers. When applications submit graphics operations to the GPU, the driver fails to properly validate memory access boundaries or enforce proper access controls between different application contexts. This allows a local malicious application to craft specific graphics commands that can traverse memory spaces belonging to other processes or system components. The vulnerability manifests through improper bounds checking and memory management routines that should prevent cross-process data leakage but instead permit unauthorized memory access patterns. The flaw specifically affects the driver's handling of graphics buffer management and command processing, creating opportunities for information disclosure through memory read operations that should be restricted.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-8460 poses significant risks to Android device security and user privacy. A local attacker with malicious application privileges can exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive data that should normally be protected by the operating system's security model. This includes potentially accessing other applications' memory spaces, system configuration data, user credentials stored in memory, or cryptographic keys used for device encryption. The vulnerability's high rating reflects its potential for unauthorized data access without explicit user consent, making it particularly dangerous for devices handling sensitive information. The attack surface is broad as graphics drivers are frequently accessed by various applications, including web browsers, media players, and other system components that may contain confidential data. This information disclosure could lead to complete compromise of device security and user privacy, as attackers could potentially extract passwords, encryption keys, or other sensitive information stored in memory.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate driver updates and system patches provided by NVIDIA and device manufacturers. Android device vendors must implement timely security updates that address the memory access control issues within the graphics driver components. System administrators should ensure that all devices running affected kernel versions receive the necessary driver patches that correct the improper memory boundary checking mechanisms. The implementation of additional security controls such as kernel address space layout randomization and improved memory protection mechanisms can help reduce the exploitability of similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual graphics driver access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) when exploited for information gathering purposes. Device manufacturers should also consider implementing stricter access controls for graphics driver interfaces and regular security assessments of kernel modules to prevent similar issues in future implementations.