CVE-2017-0737 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
A elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Android media framework (libgstagefright). Product: Android. Versions: 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2. Android ID: A-37563942.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0737 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within the Android media framework, specifically within the libstagefright library that handles multimedia processing. This vulnerability exists in multiple Android versions including 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.1, and 7.1.2, making it a widespread issue affecting a significant portion of the Android ecosystem. The flaw resides in how the media framework processes certain multimedia files, particularly those involving advanced codecs and container formats that leverage the stagefright component for decoding and rendering operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the media processing pipeline. When the libstagefright library processes malformed or specially crafted multimedia files, it fails to properly validate buffer boundaries and memory allocations, leading to potential memory corruption conditions. This memory corruption can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, effectively allowing an attacker to gain system-level access. The vulnerability specifically manifests when processing certain Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and H.264 video streams, where the parser does not adequately check for buffer overflows or invalid memory references during the decoding process. This issue aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities that can lead to privilege escalation.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-0737 is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with a pathway to achieve full system compromise without requiring user interaction or physical access to the device. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability through various attack vectors including malicious email attachments, text messages containing multimedia content, or compromised websites that deliver malicious media files. Once successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows the attacker to execute code with the highest privileges available within the Android system, potentially enabling complete device takeover, data exfiltration, and persistence mechanisms. The attack surface is particularly broad since multimedia files are commonly encountered through normal user activities, making this vulnerability highly exploitable in real-world scenarios. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, where adversaries use legitimate system tools to execute malicious code, and T1068, which involves exploiting vulnerabilities to gain system privileges.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Android versions through official security updates from device manufacturers. Organizations and individuals should ensure their devices receive the latest security patches, particularly those released in Android Security Bulletin for April 2017, which specifically addressed this vulnerability. System administrators should implement network-level controls to filter potentially malicious multimedia content, particularly when users access untrusted networks or download content from unknown sources. Additionally, security configurations should include disabling automatic media playback in email clients and messaging applications, as well as implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to potential exploitation vectors. Device manufacturers should also consider implementing additional sandboxing mechanisms and memory protection features to reduce the impact of similar vulnerabilities in the future. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and memory management practices in system components that process untrusted data, as outlined in the OWASP Top 10 and various secure coding guidelines that emphasize the need for defensive programming techniques to prevent privilege escalation attacks.