CVE-2017-0501 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in MediaTek components, including the M4U driver, sound driver, touchscreen driver, GPU driver, and Command Queue driver, could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Critical due to the possibility of a local permanent device compromise, which may require reflashing the operating system to repair the device. Product: Android. Versions: N/A. Android ID: A-28430015. References: M-ALPS02708983.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2020
This critical elevation of privilege vulnerability exists within MediaTek components affecting Android devices and represents a severe kernel-level security flaw that allows local malicious applications to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. The vulnerability spans multiple MediaTek drivers including the Memory Management Unit driver, sound driver, touchscreen driver, graphics processing unit driver, and Command Queue driver, creating a comprehensive attack surface that leverages weaknesses in the underlying hardware abstraction layer. The flaw enables a local attacker to escalate privileges from application level to kernel level, potentially compromising the entire device through persistent code execution that could survive reboots and require full system reinstallation for remediation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory management within the MediaTek driver components, allowing malicious applications to manipulate kernel memory structures through crafted inputs or direct memory access attempts. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-119 Improper Access to Memory and CWE-20 Improper Input Validation categories, where insufficient bounds checking and privilege separation mechanisms enable unauthorized code execution. The attack vector requires local access to the device, making it exploitable through malicious applications that have already gained user-level access, but the impact extends far beyond typical application sandboxing limitations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and permanent, as successful exploitation allows attackers to maintain persistent access to the device through kernel-level modifications that can survive system reboots and normal security updates. This capability enables complete device compromise including potential data exfiltration, persistent backdoor installation, and system state modification that could render the device unusable without complete system reinstallation. The vulnerability's critical rating reflects the permanent nature of the compromise and the difficulty of remediation, as traditional security patches may not be sufficient to address the underlying kernel-level modifications that attackers can implement.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate device updates from manufacturers, though many devices may not receive patches due to the complexity of kernel-level fixes. System administrators should implement strict application access controls and monitor for suspicious kernel-level activity. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure driver development practices and proper privilege separation in hardware abstraction layers. Organizations should consider implementing device integrity monitoring solutions and regular security assessments to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of hardware components and their integration with operating system security models, particularly in environments where device-level security is paramount. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, where adversaries leverage system vulnerabilities to gain elevated privileges, and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as the exploitation typically involves executing code within the compromised kernel context.