CVE-2017-13202 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability in the Android media framework (libeffects). Product: Android. Versions: 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1. Android ID: A-67647856.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2017-13202 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Android media framework, specifically in the libeffects component that handles audio processing and effects. This issue affects multiple Android versions including 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, and 8.1, indicating a widespread impact across the Android ecosystem. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of audio effect parameters and state information within the media framework, creating potential exposure of sensitive data to unauthorized applications.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the libeffects library failing to properly validate or sanitize input parameters when processing audio effects configurations. This allows malicious applications to exploit the media framework's internal state information through crafted audio effect requests, potentially accessing memory contents, configuration data, or other sensitive information that should remain protected within the system's core audio processing components. The vulnerability operates at the system level within the Android media stack, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by applications with minimal privileges to extract confidential data from system processes.
From an operational perspective, this information disclosure vulnerability poses significant risks to user privacy and system security. Attackers could potentially extract sensitive audio processing configurations, memory addresses, or other internal system information that could be used to facilitate further exploitation attempts. The impact extends beyond simple data leakage as this information could aid in bypassing security mechanisms, understanding system internals, or developing more sophisticated attacks against the Android platform. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Android versions suggests that a substantial portion of devices in the field remain susceptible to this type of information disclosure attack.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest Android security patches released by Google, which address the specific validation issues within the libeffects library. Organizations should also consider monitoring for unauthorized audio effect requests and implementing additional access controls for media framework components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) when attackers attempt to leverage the disclosed information for further system compromise. Regular security audits of Android media framework components and proper input validation mechanisms should be enforced to prevent similar issues in future implementations.