CVE-2018-11940 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Lack of check in length before using memcpy in WLAN function can lead to OOB access in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8996AU, QCS605, SD 625, SD 636, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, SDX24, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11940 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the wireless local area network functionality of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. This flaw exists in the memcpy function implementation where insufficient validation occurs regarding input data length before memory copying operations. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Qualcomm automotive, mobile, and IoT platforms including the MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8996AU, QCS605, SD 625, SD 636, SD 712/SD 710/SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845/SD 850, SD 855, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, SDX24, and SXR1130 chipsets. The absence of proper length validation creates a scenario where maliciously crafted wireless packets could trigger unauthorized memory access beyond allocated buffers, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the WLAN subsystem's memory management routines. When processing wireless communication frames, the system fails to verify that incoming data fits within pre-allocated memory buffers before invoking memcpy operations. This oversight creates a classic buffer overflow condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The flaw operates at the kernel level within the wireless networking stack, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through legitimate wireless communication channels without requiring physical access to the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple security domains and threat vectors. Mobile devices, automotive systems, and IoT deployments using affected Qualcomm chipsets become susceptible to remote code execution attacks when processing malicious wireless packets. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to system resources, potentially compromising device integrity and user data confidentiality. The attack surface includes wireless communication protocols such as wifi, bluetooth, and cellular data transmission channels. This vulnerability particularly affects automotive systems where Snapdragon Auto platforms are deployed, creating potential risks for vehicle security systems and connected services. The exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or denial of service conditions that might affect critical vehicle functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11940 require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and chipset vendors. Qualcomm has released security patches addressing this vulnerability through their regular security updates, though deployment timelines may vary across different device models and operating system versions. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected devices to the latest security patches available from their respective vendors. Network monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous wireless traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing robust input validation mechanisms and memory safety practices in embedded systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their wireless infrastructure and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, device manufacturers should consider implementing runtime protections such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and memory protection mechanisms to further reduce the exploitability of similar vulnerabilities.