CVE-2018-11952 in Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
Summary
by MITRE • 11/26/2024
An image with a version lower than the fuse version may potentially be booted lead to improper authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11952 represents a critical authentication flaw in systems that utilize firmware update mechanisms, particularly those employing fuse-based security architectures. This issue manifests when an image with a version number lower than the currently installed fuse version is booted, creating a potential pathway for unauthorized system access and privilege escalation. The vulnerability resides in the firmware validation process where the system fails to properly enforce version control mechanisms during boot operations, allowing older or potentially compromised firmware images to bypass authentication checks.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate version comparison logic within the firmware boot process. When a system attempts to boot an image, it should validate that the firmware version meets or exceeds the minimum acceptable security thresholds defined by the fuse version. However, the flaw allows systems to accept images with version numbers that are numerically lower than the current fuse version, effectively undermining the security boundary that should prevent downgrading to potentially vulnerable firmware states. This misconfiguration creates an authentication bypass condition where malicious actors could potentially load older firmware versions that contain known vulnerabilities or backdoors.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-11952 extends beyond simple authentication failures to encompass broader system compromise capabilities. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially downgrade systems to older firmware versions that contain unpatched security flaws, thereby enabling further exploitation through known vulnerabilities in the older codebase. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-327 - Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm and CWE-276 - Incorrect Permission Assignment, as it enables unauthorized access through improper authentication mechanisms. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1068 - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation and T1014 - Rootkit, as it provides a pathway for persistent access and system compromise.
Systems affected by this vulnerability typically include embedded devices, IoT appliances, and enterprise hardware that rely on firmware-based security models where fuse versions serve as critical security checkpoints. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to either physically access the device to load a malicious firmware image or to gain access to the update mechanism itself. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust version validation controls, enforcing strict firmware upgrade policies, and ensuring that the system architecture prevents downgrading to older firmware versions. Organizations should also consider implementing secure boot mechanisms that verify firmware integrity and authenticity before allowing any boot operations to proceed, thereby preventing the execution of unauthorized firmware images regardless of their version numbers.