CVE-2017-0650 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in the Synaptics touchscreen driver could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. This issue is rated as Low because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-35472278.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-0650 represents a significant information disclosure flaw within the Synaptics touchscreen driver component of Android systems running kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18. This issue falls under the broader category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities that can potentially allow unauthorized data access. The vulnerability specifically affects the touchscreen driver implementation which operates at a low system level and interfaces directly with hardware components. The flaw manifests in how the driver handles memory access controls and data validation when processing input from touchscreen devices. Security researchers identified that this vulnerability could be exploited by a local malicious application to gain access to data that should normally be restricted to higher privilege processes.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the Synaptics touchscreen driver kernel module. When processing touchscreen input events, the driver fails to adequately validate memory access requests from user-space applications. This allows a malicious application to craft specific input sequences that can trigger memory read operations beyond the normal boundaries of its allocated memory space. The vulnerability operates through a classic buffer over-read condition where the driver does not properly bounds-check data structures before accessing them, potentially allowing access to kernel memory regions that contain sensitive information. The flaw is particularly concerning because it operates within the kernel space where security boundaries are normally enforced, and the issue requires compromising a privileged process to initially gain the necessary execution context.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a pathway for local privilege escalation attacks that can potentially lead to unauthorized access to sensitive system data. While the vulnerability is rated as low severity because it requires an initial compromise of a privileged process, the implications remain significant for system security. The attack vector involves a malicious application that has already gained some level of system access but lacks the privileges to read certain kernel memory regions directly. The vulnerability could potentially expose system configuration data, user credentials, or other sensitive information stored in memory. The attack requires an attacker to first compromise a privileged process to establish a foothold, after which the information disclosure vulnerability can be leveraged to access additional system resources. This creates a multi-stage attack scenario that demonstrates the importance of maintaining proper privilege separation within the system.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read which is a common weakness in kernel drivers where bounds checking is insufficient or absent. This weakness is particularly dangerous in operating system components that handle hardware input directly, as these components often operate with elevated privileges and have direct access to system memory. The issue also maps to ATT&CK technique T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation which describes how attackers can exploit software vulnerabilities to gain higher privileges. The Synaptics touchscreen driver implementation lacks proper memory access controls that would normally be enforced by the kernel security subsystem. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as it represents a potential entry point for more sophisticated attacks that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper kernel module security design and the need for thorough code review processes that examine memory access patterns and privilege handling in system-level components.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patch deployment for affected Android versions and kernel releases, along with enhanced monitoring for suspicious memory access patterns in system logs. System administrators should also implement proper privilege separation measures and ensure that all applications running with elevated privileges undergo thorough security review. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches, particularly for kernel components that interface with hardware devices. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as kernel memory protection mechanisms and runtime application behavior monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of kernel modules and driver components should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities that could be exploited in similar attack scenarios. The incident highlights the necessity of robust security architectures that prevent information disclosure vulnerabilities from escalating to more serious security incidents.