CVE-2017-0403 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the kernel performance subsystem could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-32402548.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0403 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within the Android kernel performance subsystem, specifically affecting kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18. This vulnerability operates at the core level of the operating system, exploiting weaknesses in how the kernel handles performance monitoring and profiling operations. The issue stems from improper validation of user-supplied data within kernel space, creating a pathway for malicious code execution with the highest privileges available to the system. The vulnerability requires initial compromise of a privileged process as a prerequisite, but once achieved, it allows an attacker to escalate their privileges to kernel level, effectively gaining complete control over the device's functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies within the kernel's performance monitoring interface, where insufficient input validation permits crafted malicious data to be processed without proper sanitization. When a privileged application processes performance-related data, the kernel fails to adequately verify the legitimacy of the input parameters, leading to potential memory corruption or arbitrary code execution within kernel context. This flaw typically manifests through improper handling of performance event structures or profiling parameters that are passed from user space to kernel space. The vulnerability can be exploited through a local malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process, leveraging the kernel's performance monitoring subsystem to execute malicious code with kernel-level privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-0403 is severe and far-reaching, as it enables attackers to achieve complete system compromise through kernel-level code execution. Once exploited, the vulnerability allows malicious actors to bypass all standard security controls, access encrypted data, modify system files, install persistent backdoors, and potentially escalate to full device control. The attack vector requires an initial foothold through a compromised privileged process, but this is often achievable through other vulnerabilities or social engineering techniques. The vulnerability affects all Android devices running the affected kernel versions, making it particularly dangerous as it impacts a broad range of devices and applications that rely on kernel performance monitoring features. The exploitation process typically involves crafting specific performance event data that triggers the kernel's flawed validation logic, leading to privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-0403 focus primarily on updating to patched kernel versions that address the improper input validation issues within the performance monitoring subsystem. Android security updates and kernel patches specifically target the validation routines that handle performance event data, implementing proper bounds checking and input sanitization to prevent malicious data from being processed in kernel space. System administrators and device manufacturers should prioritize immediate deployment of security patches to affected devices, as the vulnerability provides a direct path to kernel-level compromise. Additional mitigations include implementing kernel address space layout randomization, enabling stack canaries, and deploying runtime integrity checks to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and monitoring for unusual performance monitoring activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, exploit for privilege escalation, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams managing Android-based systems. The vulnerability underscores the importance of kernel security hardening and proper input validation in preventing privilege escalation attacks that can compromise entire operating systems.