CVE-2016-9965 in Note
Summary
by MITRE
Lack of appropriate exception handling in some receivers of the Telecom application on Samsung Note devices with L(5.0/5.1), M(6.0), and N(7.0) software allows attackers to crash the system easily resulting in a possible DoS attack, or possibly gain privileges. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-7119.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-9965 represents a critical flaw in the telecommunications framework of Samsung Note devices running Android versions 5.0 through 7.0. This issue manifests within the Telecom application's receiver components where inadequate exception handling mechanisms exist, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit system stability. The vulnerability specifically targets the telecommunications subsystem which serves as a core component for managing phone calls, SMS, and other communication services on these mobile platforms.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from the absence of proper error handling within broadcast receivers that process telecommunications-related intents. When maliciously crafted intents are sent to these receivers, the system fails to properly manage the exceptions that occur during processing, leading to abrupt termination of the Telecom application. This lack of defensive programming practices directly violates established security principles and creates a predictable crash condition that can be reliably exploited by attackers. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the Android framework, specifically affecting the telecommunications services layer that interfaces between the operating system and telephony hardware.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to device availability and potentially system integrity. Attackers can easily trigger system crashes through simple intent manipulation, creating a reliable denial of service condition that renders the device's telephony functions unusable. The potential for privilege escalation adds another layer of concern, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to gain elevated system privileges within the Android environment. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and exception management, where the system fails to handle malformed or unexpected inputs gracefully, leading to system instability and potential unauthorized access.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it affects the fundamental communication capabilities of affected devices. Mobile devices running these Android versions become susceptible to persistent DoS attacks that can be executed remotely, making them vulnerable to both individual attackers and organized threat groups. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Samsung Note devices, creating a substantial attack surface that could be exploited at scale. Organizations and individuals using these devices face risks including communication disruption, potential data exposure, and the possibility of unauthorized system access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment and system hardening measures. Samsung addressed this issue through security updates that implemented proper exception handling within the affected receivers, ensuring that malformed intents are properly validated and handled without causing system crashes. Security professionals should implement network monitoring to detect suspicious intent traffic patterns and consider device lockdown procedures for affected systems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-707, which addresses improper handling of inputs that can lead to security issues, and represents a clear violation of ATT&CK technique T1499 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also implement application whitelisting policies and regularly update their mobile device management systems to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.