CVE-2016-9967 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-2016-7121.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9967 represents a critical flaw in the Telecom application's receiver components on Samsung Note devices running Android versions 5.0 through 7.0. This issue stems from inadequate exception handling mechanisms within the application's broadcast receiver implementations, which are designed to respond to system events and intents. The vulnerability falls under CWE-703, which encompasses improper handling of exceptional conditions, and specifically relates to the failure to properly manage error states during receiver execution. The affected Samsung Note devices include various models that shipped with Android Lollipop (5.0/5.1), Marshmallow (6.0), and Nougat (7.0) operating systems, making this a widespread concern across multiple Android versions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when malicious actors craft specially crafted intents or broadcast messages that trigger the vulnerable receivers in the Telecom application. These receivers lack proper input validation and exception handling, allowing attackers to pass malformed data or unexpected parameters that cause the application to crash or behave unpredictably. The flaw enables attackers to achieve a denial of service condition by repeatedly sending these malicious intents, causing the Telecom application to crash and potentially leading to system instability. According to the ATT&CK framework, this represents a privilege escalation opportunity under the T1068 technique for 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation', as the system crash may create opportunities for further exploitation or compromise of the device's security posture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the lack of proper exception handling creates potential pathways for privilege escalation attacks. When the Telecom application crashes due to malformed inputs, the system may inadvertently grant elevated privileges to the malicious actor, particularly if the application runs with elevated permissions or if the crash creates a window of opportunity for exploitation. The vulnerability's severity is compounded by the fact that these devices were widely deployed in enterprise environments, making them attractive targets for adversaries seeking to disrupt business operations or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The Samsung security advisory SVE-2016-7121 documents this issue as a critical security concern requiring immediate attention and patching across affected device models.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-9967 should focus on implementing robust input validation and exception handling within all broadcast receiver components of the Telecom application. Security teams should ensure that all receiver implementations include comprehensive try-catch blocks to handle potential exceptions gracefully without allowing system crashes. The fix should involve proper sanitization of all incoming intents and parameters, along with implementing defensive programming practices that prevent malformed data from causing application instability. Organizations should prioritize immediate patch deployment for affected Samsung Note devices, as the vulnerability represents a significant risk to device security and availability. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of broadcast intent traffic that may indicate exploitation attempts, and system administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to limit the execution of potentially malicious broadcast receivers on affected devices.