CVE-2017-6282 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
"NVIDIA Tegra kernel driver contains a vulnerability in NVMAP where an attacker has the ability to write an arbitrary value to an arbitrary location which may lead to an escalation of privileges. This issue is rated as high."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6282 resides within the NVIDIA Tegra kernel driver's NVMAP component, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that has significant implications for embedded systems and mobile devices utilizing NVIDIA's Tegra chipsets. This vulnerability specifically affects the kernel-mode driver responsible for managing memory allocation and mapping operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and memory management controls within the NVMAP subsystem, which processes memory allocation requests from user-space applications and kernel components. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to write arbitrary values to any memory location, effectively bypassing standard kernel security mechanisms and potentially enabling full system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a memory corruption issue within the NVMAP driver's handling of memory mapping operations, where improper bounds checking and validation mechanisms fail to prevent unauthorized memory writes. This flaw operates at the kernel level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by malicious applications or compromised user processes to gain root-level access to the system. The vulnerability's impact is classified as high severity due to its potential for privilege escalation, which can result in complete system compromise, data theft, or persistent backdoor installation. The NVMAP subsystem's role in managing memory allocation for graphics processing and other system components makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as it can affect critical system functions and provide attackers with direct access to sensitive kernel memory regions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to devices running NVIDIA Tegra-based systems, including smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, and embedded industrial devices. The exploitation process typically involves crafting malicious memory allocation requests that trigger the memory corruption, allowing attackers to manipulate kernel memory structures and escalate privileges. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read conditions, as the memory management flaws create opportunities for unauthorized memory access and modification. The attack vector can be initiated through compromised applications or malicious code execution within the device's operating environment, making it particularly dangerous for mobile devices where users frequently install third-party applications.
The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation, as this vulnerability can enable attackers to bypass kernel security features such as kernel address space layout randomization and other exploit mitigation techniques. This flaw can be leveraged to modify critical kernel data structures, disable security modules, or inject malicious code directly into kernel memory space. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting kernel-mode exploits that allow adversaries to gain administrative access to systems. Mitigation strategies should focus on applying official NVIDIA security patches and updates, implementing kernel module whitelisting, and deploying runtime monitoring solutions to detect suspicious memory access patterns. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as secure boot mechanisms and memory protection features to reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of this vulnerability in production environments.