CVE-2017-0629 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in the Qualcomm camera driver could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. This issue is rated as Moderate because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-35214296. References: QC-CR#1086833.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0629 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Qualcomm's camera driver implementation that affects Android devices running kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18. This security weakness resides in the kernel-level camera subsystem where proper access controls fail to prevent unauthorized data access by malicious applications. The vulnerability operates through a privilege escalation mechanism that requires initial compromise of a privileged process, making it a moderately severe threat that can be exploited through a multi-stage attack approach. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the camera driver's kernel module, creating potential pathways for unauthorized data extraction.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves leveraging a local malicious application to first establish a foothold within a compromised privileged process before attempting to access restricted memory regions or data structures. This flaw demonstrates poor adherence to security principles such as the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement. The camera driver component fails to properly validate buffer boundaries and memory access permissions, allowing potential data leakage from memory areas that should be protected from unauthorized access. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 as "Information Exposure" and specifically relates to improper access control mechanisms within kernel drivers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for Android devices as it enables attackers to extract sensitive information that would normally be restricted to authorized processes. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure to potentially include access to camera sensor data, configuration parameters, or other system information that could be used for further exploitation. The requirement for initial privilege compromise means that attackers must first gain access to a legitimate privileged process before exploiting this specific weakness, but this initial access point could be achieved through other vulnerabilities or social engineering tactics. The vulnerability affects a wide range of devices that utilize Qualcomm's camera driver implementations, making it particularly concerning for the Android ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-0629 should focus on immediate patching of affected kernel versions and implementation of additional runtime protections for camera driver components. Device manufacturers should prioritize updating kernel versions to those containing fixes for the camera driver access control issues, while also implementing runtime monitoring to detect suspicious access patterns from camera driver interfaces. Security researchers recommend deploying mandatory access controls and enhanced kernel memory protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized data access even when privilege escalation occurs. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper kernel driver security testing and adherence to secure coding practices, particularly for components that handle sensitive data access. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for addressing such information disclosure threats. This vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of kernel modules and proper enforcement of access control mechanisms across all system components.