CVE-2017-0644 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
A remote denial of service vulnerability in Mediaserver could enable an attacker to use a specially crafted file to cause a device hang or reboot. This issue is rated as High severity due to the possibility of remote denial of service. Product: Android. Versions: 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1. Android ID: A-35472997.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0644 represents a critical remote denial of service flaw within the Android mediaserver component that affects multiple versions of the operating system including 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, 6.0, and 6.0.1. This issue resides in the media processing subsystem that handles various multimedia file formats and is part of the broader Android framework responsible for managing device media capabilities. The mediaserver process operates with elevated privileges and serves as a central hub for multimedia operations across the Android platform, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt device functionality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the careful crafting of malicious media files that trigger a specific flaw in how the mediaserver processes certain input data structures. When the vulnerable system attempts to parse and handle these specially crafted files, the mediaserver experiences an abnormal termination condition that results in system instability. The flaw typically manifests as an out-of-bounds read or write operation that causes the process to crash or enter an infinite loop, ultimately leading to device hang or complete system reboot. This behavior aligns with common denial of service attack patterns where system resources are consumed or corrupted in a manner that prevents normal operation.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-0644 extends beyond simple device disruption as it represents a significant security risk for users who may unknowingly encounter malicious media content through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. The high severity rating reflects the ease of exploitation and the potential for widespread impact across affected Android versions, particularly given the prevalence of these older versions in the field. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to the attack technique of resource exhaustion and process termination, which are fundamental components of the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the "Execution" and "Persistence" domains. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-129, which covers improper validation of array indices, both of which are common patterns in media processing libraries.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Android versions through official security updates provided by Google and device manufacturers. Organizations and users should prioritize updating their systems to versions that contain the patched mediaserver component, as the vulnerability does not require user interaction to exploit. System administrators should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms to limit the impact of any successful attacks. Additionally, users should exercise caution when processing media files from untrusted sources and should avoid opening files from unknown origins. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the need for robust input validation in media processing components that handle untrusted data from external sources.