CVE-2017-15859 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
While processing the QCA_NL80211_VENDOR_SUBCMD_SET_TXPOWER_SCALE_DECR_DB vendor command, in which attribute QCA_WLAN_VENDOR_ATTR_TXPOWER_SCALE_DECR_DB contains fewer than 1 byte, in Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android before 2017-08-11 a buffer overrun occurs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2023
This vulnerability resides within the wireless subsystem of Android and Firefox OS platforms, specifically affecting Qualcomm MSM-based devices. The issue manifests during the processing of vendor-specific commands related to wireless power control mechanisms. The flaw occurs when handling the QCA_NL80211_VENDOR_SUBCMD_SET_TXPOWER_SCALE_DECR_DB command which is part of the Qualcomm wireless driver interface. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of the QCA_WLAN_VENDOR_ATTR_TXPOWER_SCALE_DECR_DB attribute, which is expected to contain at least one byte of data for proper power scaling operations.
The technical implementation flaw represents a classic buffer overrun condition where the system attempts to read or write beyond the allocated memory boundaries. When the attribute contains fewer than one byte of data, the kernel driver fails to properly validate the input length before proceeding with memory operations. This inadequate bounds checking creates an opportunity for attackers to manipulate the wireless subsystem through specially crafted vendor commands. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects the core wireless infrastructure components that handle power management and transmission scaling for wireless communications.
Operationally, this vulnerability could enable an attacker with local access to the wireless subsystem to execute arbitrary code within the kernel space of affected devices. The buffer overrun could potentially lead to privilege escalation, system instability, or complete device compromise. Attackers could exploit this through malicious wireless network configurations or by injecting crafted vendor commands through the wireless interface. The impact extends beyond individual device security to potential network-wide vulnerabilities in environments where multiple devices are interconnected. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Qualcomm-based mobile devices, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise and consumer environments where wireless connectivity is fundamental to operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and bounds checking for all vendor command attributes. System administrators should apply the vendor-provided security patches released in August 2017 for affected Android and Firefox OS versions. The fix typically involves adding explicit length validation before processing the QCA_WLAN_VENDOR_ATTR_TXPOWER_SCALE_DECR_DB attribute to ensure minimum required data size is present. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual wireless command patterns and maintain updated threat intelligence on wireless attack vectors. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 and CWE-787 categories related to improper input validation and buffer overflows, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068 for local privilege escalation through kernel exploits.