CVE-2016-8760 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE
Touchscreen driver in Huawei P9 phones with software versions before EVA-AL10C00B192 and Huawei Honor 6 phones with software versions before H60-L02_6.10.1 has a heap overflow vulnerability, which allows attackers to crash the system or escalate user privilege.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2022
The heap overflow vulnerability identified in CVE-2016-8760 affects touchscreen drivers on Huawei P9 and Huawei Honor 6 smartphones, representing a critical security flaw that undermines device integrity and user safety. This vulnerability resides within the kernel-level touchscreen driver component that processes input events from the touch interface, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its privileged execution context and direct hardware interaction capabilities. The flaw manifests specifically in devices running software versions prior to EVA-AL10C00B192 for P9 models and H60-L02_6.10.1 for Honor 6 devices, indicating a widespread issue affecting multiple generations of mobile hardware platforms.
The technical implementation of this heap overflow vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the touchscreen driver's memory management routines. When processing touch events or commands from the hardware interface, the driver fails to properly bounds-check data structures allocated on the heap, allowing malicious input to overwrite adjacent memory regions. This memory corruption occurs during the parsing of touchscreen input data, particularly when handling malformed touch coordinates or input sequences that exceed expected buffer sizes. The vulnerability operates at the kernel level where privilege escalation is possible, as the touchscreen driver executes with elevated system privileges necessary for hardware control. According to CWE-121, this represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow condition where insufficient bounds checking permits memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-8760 extends beyond simple system crashes to encompass potential privilege escalation capabilities that could enable attackers to gain root access to affected devices. System stability is compromised through denial-of-service conditions that cause unexpected device reboots or complete system lockups, while the privilege escalation aspect creates opportunities for persistent malware installation and data exfiltration. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to install malicious applications that operate with system-level privileges, potentially accessing sensitive user data, modifying system configurations, or establishing backdoors for continued unauthorized access. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, as it can be triggered through crafted touch input sequences or by manipulating the hardware interface directly.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Huawei to patch the affected touchscreen driver components, as the manufacturer has released security patches addressing the heap overflow conditions. System administrators and device users must ensure all affected devices receive the latest security updates, particularly those implementing the vulnerable EVA-AL10C00B192 and H60-L02_6.10.1 software versions. Network security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through behavioral analysis of touchscreen input patterns and implement device integrity checking mechanisms to detect compromised systems. According to ATT&CK framework domain T1068, this vulnerability aligns with privilege escalation techniques that leverage kernel-level flaws to gain elevated system access, making it essential for organizations to maintain comprehensive mobile device management policies and security monitoring capabilities. Additionally, defensive measures should include runtime application control and memory protection mechanisms that can detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting heap-based buffer overflows in mobile operating system components.