CVE-2017-18153 in Snapdragon Connectivity
Summary
by MITRE • 11/26/2024
A race condition exists in a driver potentially leading to a use-after-free condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-18153 represents a critical race condition flaw within a device driver component that can potentially result in a use-after-free condition. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when multiple threads or processes access shared resources without proper synchronization mechanisms, creating windows of opportunity for malicious exploitation. The race condition manifests when the driver fails to properly coordinate access to memory resources, allowing one thread to free memory while another thread simultaneously attempts to access the same memory location. Such conditions are particularly dangerous in kernel-mode drivers where the consequences of improper memory management can lead to system instability, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the driver's failure to maintain proper synchronization primitives when handling concurrent access to shared data structures or memory regions. When multiple execution paths attempt to manipulate the same resource simultaneously, the lack of adequate locking mechanisms or atomic operations creates opportunities for memory corruption. The use-after-free condition occurs when the driver's memory management routines do not properly track resource usage, allowing freed memory blocks to be reallocated and subsequently accessed by unauthorized code paths. This flaw falls under the broader category of concurrency issues that are classified as CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions in software development. The vulnerability demonstrates poor adherence to secure coding practices where proper mutex or semaphore usage would prevent the simultaneous access patterns that lead to the exploitable state.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-18153 extends beyond simple system instability to potentially enable privilege escalation attacks and arbitrary code execution within the kernel space. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by carefully crafting concurrent access patterns that trigger the race condition, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for elevation of privileges or system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the kernel level where malicious code can gain unrestricted access to system resources, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls, modify system files, or establish persistent backdoors. This type of vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and T1059 which covers 'Command and Scripting Interpreter' as attackers can leverage the compromised driver to execute malicious code with system-level privileges. The exploitation typically requires sophisticated understanding of the driver's internal state management and memory layout, making it a valuable target for advanced persistent threats.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-18153 must focus on implementing proper synchronization mechanisms within the affected driver code. The primary remediation involves introducing appropriate locking primitives such as mutexes, semaphores, or atomic operations to ensure exclusive access to shared resources during critical sections of code execution. Developers should implement proper reference counting mechanisms to track resource usage and prevent premature deallocation of memory blocks. Additionally, thorough code reviews and static analysis should be conducted to identify all potential race conditions within driver code. System administrators should ensure that affected drivers are updated through official vendor patches or firmware updates, as this vulnerability typically requires code-level fixes rather than configuration changes. The implementation of kernel-mode exploit protection mechanisms such as kernel address space layout randomization and control flow integrity can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous driver behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts or system compromise.