CVE-2018-11867 in Snapdragon Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
Lack of buffer length check before copying in WLAN function while processing FIPS event, can lead to a buffer overflow in Snapdragon Mobile in version SD 845.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11867 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the WLAN functionality of Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile processors. This issue specifically manifests during the processing of FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) events, which are cryptographic compliance requirements mandated for government and enterprise security applications. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of buffer lengths before data copying operations occur within the wireless networking subsystem, creating a potential entry point for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. The vulnerability affects devices that rely on Snapdragon 845 chipsets for their wireless connectivity capabilities, including smartphones, tablets, and other mobile computing devices. When a FIPS event is processed, the system fails to verify that the incoming data payload fits within the allocated buffer space, allowing for potential overflows that could compromise the device's security posture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the WLAN driver component within the Snapdragon 845's mobile platform, where cryptographic processing routines handle FIPS compliance events. During normal operation, the system receives FIPS-related data packets that must be processed and validated according to federal security standards. However, the buffer management code lacks proper bounds checking mechanisms, particularly when handling variable-length data structures that are common in cryptographic event processing. This flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious FIPS event data that exceeds the allocated buffer size, causing adjacent memory regions to be overwritten. The buffer overflow can potentially overwrite critical system data structures, function pointers, or return addresses, enabling privilege escalation attacks and arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at a low system level within the mobile processor's wireless subsystem, making it difficult to detect and exploit without specialized knowledge of the hardware architecture.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-11867 extends beyond simple system crashes or instability, as it provides attackers with potential pathways to gain elevated privileges on affected devices. Mobile devices running Snapdragon 845 processors with vulnerable WLAN implementations become susceptible to various attack vectors including remote code execution, data theft, and persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability affects not only individual user devices but also enterprise environments where compliance with FIPS standards is mandatory, potentially compromising sensitive government and corporate data. Attackers could exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted FIPS event packets to target devices, either through malicious Wi-Fi networks or by leveraging other attack vectors that can inject malicious data into the wireless processing pipeline. The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute malicious code on compromised devices. This vulnerability also relates to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios, making it a comprehensive buffer overflow vulnerability affecting multiple memory management contexts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11867 primarily involve firmware and software updates from device manufacturers, as Qualcomm has released patches addressing the buffer length validation issue in their Snapdragon 845 processor implementations. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected devices to the latest security patches provided by their manufacturers, which typically include enhanced buffer validation routines and improved bounds checking mechanisms. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring of wireless traffic for anomalous FIPS event processing patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Device security configurations should be reviewed to ensure that unnecessary FIPS compliance features are disabled when not required, reducing the attack surface. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices in embedded systems, particularly in mobile processor architectures where wireless connectivity components must handle various security standards. System administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while also maintaining regular security assessments to identify other potential vulnerabilities in mobile device ecosystems. The remediation process requires coordinated efforts between chipset manufacturers, operating system vendors, and device manufacturers to ensure comprehensive protection against this and similar buffer overflow vulnerabilities in mobile computing environments.