CVE-2018-12004 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Secure keypad is unlocked with secure display still intact in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 636, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 8CX, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset family affecting multiple automotive, mobile, and IoT device categories. The issue manifests when a secure keypad becomes unlocked while the secure display remains active, creating a significant bypass of the intended security architecture. This anomaly occurs across numerous Snapdragon variants including the MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, and various SD series processors, indicating a widespread systemic weakness in the hardware security implementation. The vulnerability stems from improper synchronization between the keypad unlock mechanism and display security states, allowing unauthorized access to locked devices while maintaining visual security indicators that should prevent such access.
The technical implementation flaw involves a race condition or state management error within the secure input/output subsystem of the Snapdragon processors. When the secure display is active, it should maintain exclusive control over the input mechanisms to prevent unauthorized data entry or command execution. However, the secure keypad can be activated independently, creating an attack surface where malicious actors could potentially input commands or access data without proper authentication. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to gain access to system resources. The issue represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege and secure by design principles that should govern all security-critical components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple device categories including automotive systems, consumer electronics, industrial IoT deployments, and wearable devices. In automotive applications, this could enable unauthorized access to vehicle infotainment systems, potentially allowing attackers to execute commands or access sensitive data while the display appears secure to legitimate users. Mobile and wearable devices become vulnerable to unauthorized data access, command injection, and potential privilege escalation attacks. Industrial IoT deployments face similar risks where operational technology systems could be compromised through this keypad bypass mechanism, potentially affecting critical infrastructure operations. The vulnerability affects devices manufactured by numerous OEMs and could impact millions of end-user devices globally, making it a high-severity concern for both consumers and enterprise security teams.
Mitigation strategies should focus on both immediate firmware updates and architectural improvements to prevent similar issues in future implementations. Qualcomm should implement comprehensive state synchronization mechanisms between display and input subsystems to ensure that secure display states properly control keypad functionality. Security researchers and device manufacturers should conduct thorough penetration testing of input/output security boundaries to identify potential race conditions or state management flaws. The ATT&CK framework's T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation and T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution categories are particularly relevant for understanding how this vulnerability could be exploited to gain persistent access to systems. Organizations should also implement network-based monitoring to detect unusual input patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular security updates to address similar vulnerabilities in the hardware security architecture.