CVE-2017-18277 in Snapdragon Automobile
Summary
by MITRE
When dynamic memory allocation fails, currently the process sleeps for one second and continues with infinite loop without retrying for memory allocation in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wear in version MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, QCN5502, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical memory management flaw in Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive and mobile platforms that can lead to system instability and potential denial of service conditions. The issue manifests when dynamic memory allocation operations fail during runtime, creating a dangerous execution path that fundamentally undermines system reliability. The affected chipsets include the MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, QCN5502, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, and SD 835 processors. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-401: Improper Handling of Memory Allocation Failure, which is classified as a fundamental memory management error that can lead to system crashes and resource exhaustion.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a poor error handling strategy where the system does not properly manage allocation failures. When memory allocation fails, the process enters a one-second sleep state before entering an infinite loop that continues without attempting to retry the memory allocation operation. This design flaw creates a deterministic path to system instability where processes can become permanently blocked, consuming system resources while making no progress. The infinite loop without retry mechanisms prevents the system from recovering from transient memory pressure conditions, effectively creating a denial of service scenario for the affected applications and system services. This behavior violates standard operating system design principles for memory management and fault tolerance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability to encompass potential safety-critical implications in automotive environments where Snapdragon platforms are deployed. In automotive applications, this flaw could lead to complete system lockups during critical operations such as brake control, steering assistance, or collision avoidance systems. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Snapdragon processors, indicating a widespread issue that spans both mobile and automotive platforms. The infinite loop behavior means that even after the initial memory allocation failure, the system remains in an unresponsive state until manual intervention occurs, potentially leaving vehicles or devices inoperable. This represents a significant concern for automotive cybersecurity frameworks and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries can exploit memory management flaws to create persistent system unavailability.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate and long-term system stability requirements. Immediate solutions include implementing proper memory allocation retry mechanisms with exponential backoff strategies, adding memory pressure monitoring capabilities, and establishing watchdog timer mechanisms to detect and recover from infinite loop conditions. The system should incorporate proper error handling that attempts allocation retries with increasing delays, implements memory cleanup procedures, and provides graceful degradation when memory resources are constrained. Additionally, comprehensive logging of memory allocation failures should be implemented to enable system administrators to identify patterns and potential resource exhaustion conditions before they lead to complete system failure. System designers should also consider implementing memory pools and pre-allocation strategies to minimize the likelihood of allocation failures during critical operations, particularly in automotive environments where system reliability is paramount.