CVE-2018-11838 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Possible double free issue in WLAN due to lack of checking memory free condition. in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music in APQ8053, MDM9640, SDA660, SDM636, SDM660, SDX20
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11838 represents a critical double free condition within the wireless local area network subsystem of various Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. This issue stems from inadequate memory management practices where the system fails to properly validate memory free conditions before attempting to release allocated memory blocks. The flaw affects multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive, consumer electronics connectivity, consumer IOT, industrial IOT, mobile, and voice/music applications, making it a widespread concern across numerous device categories.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the WLAN driver or firmware components that manage wireless communication protocols. When processing certain wireless frames or handling network connections, the system attempts to free memory resources without proper validation of whether those resources have already been freed. This condition creates a scenario where the same memory location can be deallocated twice, leading to unpredictable behavior in the memory management system. The double free vulnerability can potentially allow attackers to manipulate heap memory structures and execute arbitrary code or cause system crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to device stability and security across multiple deployment scenarios. The affected chipsets are widely used in smartphones, tablets, automotive systems, IoT devices, and industrial equipment, meaning that exploitation could impact a broad range of connected devices. The vulnerability can be triggered through wireless network traffic, making it particularly concerning for mobile devices that continuously communicate over wireless networks. Attackers could potentially leverage this double free condition to gain unauthorized access to device resources, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service conditions that could disrupt critical operations in automotive or industrial applications.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-415, which specifically addresses double free conditions in memory management, and represents a classic example of improper resource management that can be exploited through memory corruption techniques. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and potentially T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, depending on the exploitation method and target system. The impact is particularly severe given that the affected devices are often deployed in environments where reliability and security are paramount, such as automotive systems and industrial control networks. Remediation requires firmware updates from device manufacturers to implement proper memory validation checks and ensure that memory free operations are only executed when appropriate conditions are met, preventing the double free scenario from occurring.
The widespread nature of this vulnerability across multiple Snapdragon product lines indicates a fundamental flaw in the memory management implementation that affects device manufacturers globally. This issue demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory validation in embedded systems and wireless communication protocols. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the complex security challenges present in modern connected devices where wireless communication protocols must be rigorously tested for memory safety issues that could be exploited by attackers with access to wireless network traffic.