CVE-2017-18157 in Snapdragon Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
A Use After Free Condition can occur in Thermal Engine in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wear in MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SDX20.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical use after free condition within the thermal engine component of various Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive and mobile platforms. The flaw exists in the way the thermal engine processes certain input data structures, creating opportunities for memory corruption that can be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Snapdragon chipsets including the MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, and numerous SD series processors. The thermal engine is responsible for monitoring and managing device temperature through various sensors and control mechanisms, making this a particularly dangerous flaw as it could potentially be leveraged to disrupt critical system functions or escalate privileges within the device's operating environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the thermal engine's processing pipeline. When the system handles specific thermal event notifications or sensor data, it fails to properly validate memory references after objects have been freed, creating a window where attacker-controlled data can be written to already deallocated memory regions. This use after free condition falls under the CWE-416 category of "Use After Free" and can potentially be exploited through heap spraying techniques or by carefully crafting input data that triggers the vulnerable code path. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at a low system level within the automotive and mobile platform firmware, providing attackers with potential access to critical system controls and sensor data processing functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it could enable attackers to manipulate device thermal management systems in ways that might compromise device safety and performance. In automotive applications, this could potentially affect engine cooling systems or other critical vehicle functions that rely on thermal monitoring. The vulnerability could be exploited to cause denial of service conditions, system instability, or potentially provide a foothold for more sophisticated attacks targeting the device's security framework. Attackers could leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code within the thermal engine's context, potentially gaining access to sensitive system information or manipulating device behavior through corrupted thermal data processing. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1547.001 for registry run keys or startup folder, as it could enable persistence mechanisms through thermal management system manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and chipset vendors to address the memory management flaws in the thermal engine implementation. System administrators should ensure all affected Snapdragon platforms receive security patches as soon as they become available, particularly in automotive environments where safety-critical systems may be impacted. Network monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous thermal event patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while endpoint protection systems should be configured to monitor for suspicious memory access patterns. Organizations should implement regular vulnerability assessments targeting automotive and mobile platforms to identify similar use after free conditions that might exist in other system components. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of firmware updates to ensure that the thermal engine functionality remains stable and secure after patching, as improper patching could potentially introduce additional instability in device thermal management systems.