CVE-2017-13167 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the kernel sound timer. Product: Android. Versions: Android kernel. Android ID A-37240993.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2019
The CVE-2017-13167 vulnerability represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within the Android kernel sound timer subsystem that allows malicious applications to escalate their privileges from user-level to kernel-level execution. This vulnerability specifically affects the Linux kernel implementation of the sound timer functionality, which is responsible for managing audio timing operations and scheduling within the Android operating system. The flaw exists in the kernel's handling of certain timer operations that are exposed to user-space applications through the sound subsystem interfaces, creating an exploitable path for privilege escalation attacks.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and access control mechanisms within the kernel sound timer implementation. When user-space applications interact with the sound timer subsystem, the kernel fails to properly validate the parameters passed during timer setup and manipulation operations. This validation gap allows attackers to craft malicious timer configurations that can trigger kernel memory corruption or arbitrary code execution within kernel space. The vulnerability manifests when the kernel processes timer events without sufficient bounds checking, potentially leading to memory overwrite conditions or control flow manipulation that can be exploited to gain full kernel privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant security risks to Android devices as it enables malicious applications to bypass the standard security boundaries between user-space and kernel-space execution environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete control over the device, potentially accessing sensitive user data, modifying system files, installing malicious software, or even disabling security features. The impact extends beyond individual device compromise to potential large-scale attacks if malicious applications can be distributed through official app stores or other attack vectors. The vulnerability affects all Android versions that utilize the affected kernel sound timer implementation, making it particularly concerning for widespread device populations.
The exploitation of CVE-2017-13167 aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including privilege escalation through kernel exploits and system binary exploitation. This vulnerability specifically maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow conditions, as the kernel timer handling code likely contains memory management flaws that can be leveraged for privilege escalation. Security researchers have documented that exploitation typically involves crafting specific timer parameters that trigger the kernel's memory corruption, followed by executing shellcode or manipulating kernel data structures to achieve privilege elevation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper kernel security boundaries and input validation in preventing privilege escalation attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-13167 primarily focus on applying the official Android security patches released by Google and device manufacturers. System administrators and security teams should prioritize immediate patch deployment across all affected Android devices, particularly those in enterprise environments where the risk of compromise is higher. Additionally, implementing application sandboxing and runtime monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts, though these measures provide only partial protection since the vulnerability exists at the kernel level. Device manufacturers should also consider implementing kernel hardening techniques such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and kernel code integrity checks to make exploitation more difficult. Regular security audits of kernel subsystems and implementation of defense-in-depth strategies are essential for protecting against similar vulnerabilities in the sound subsystem and other kernel components.