CVE-2018-12005 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
An unprivileged user can issue a binder call and cause a system halt in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, QCS605, Qualcomm 215, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, SDX24, SM7150
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Qualcomm's Android-based mobile platforms that allows unprivileged users to trigger system-wide halts through malicious binder calls. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Snapdragon chipsets across multiple product categories including automotive, consumer IoT, industrial IoT, mobile, voice/music, and wearable devices. The flaw exists within the kernel-level binder driver mechanism which is responsible for inter-process communication between applications and system services on Android devices.
The technical exploitation involves an unprivileged user space process issuing a specially crafted binder transaction that causes the kernel to execute code path leading to system panic and complete system halt. This represents a privilege escalation vulnerability where a user with minimal system access can cause a denial of service condition that affects the entire device operation. The vulnerability specifically targets the binder driver implementation in Qualcomm's msm_binder subsystem, which handles the communication between Android applications and system services. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-119 which describes weaknesses in memory handling where insufficient bounds checking allows for memory corruption and system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it can be exploited by any user with basic application execution privileges, effectively allowing malicious actors to remotely or locally cause complete device shutdowns. This creates a significant risk for automotive applications where system reliability is critical, as well as for IoT devices where service availability is paramount. The vulnerability affects devices running various versions of Android and Qualcomm's proprietary software stacks, making it particularly concerning for widespread deployment. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks and T1068 which involves exploit for privilege escalation.
The exploitation mechanism relies on improper validation of binder transaction parameters that allows an attacker to manipulate kernel data structures through user-space controlled inputs. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and memory safety practices within the kernel driver implementation, specifically in how the binder driver handles certain transaction types. This type of flaw commonly occurs when kernel components fail to properly validate user-supplied data before processing, leading to potential system crashes or more severe security consequences. The affected chipsets span multiple generations and architectures within Qualcomm's product portfolio, indicating a systemic issue in the kernel driver implementation rather than isolated component failure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including kernel updates from Qualcomm, application sandboxing to limit user process capabilities, and network monitoring to detect suspicious binder transaction patterns. The vulnerability highlights the importance of kernel-level security hardening and proper input validation in embedded systems. Device manufacturers should ensure that all devices receive timely security patches and that proper security testing is conducted on kernel-level components. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for unusual binder activity and implement process monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure kernel development practices and proper privilege management in mobile and embedded systems where unauthorized system access can lead to complete device compromise.