CVE-2018-13885 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Possible memory overread may be lead to access of sensitive data in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, Qualcomm 215, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, SM7150, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2020
This vulnerability represents a memory overread condition that occurs within Qualcomm's Snapdragon automotive, mobile, and IoT platform ecosystems. The flaw manifests in multiple chipsets including the MDM9150, MDM9206, and various SD series processors, creating a widespread impact across numerous device categories. The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking during memory operations, allowing potential unauthorized access to adjacent memory regions that may contain sensitive data. This issue specifically affects systems where memory management is critical for security operations, including automotive infotainment systems, industrial IoT devices, and consumer mobile platforms. The memory overread condition can be exploited to extract confidential information that should remain protected from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves scenarios where software components fail to properly validate memory access boundaries before reading data from allocated memory segments. When processing certain data structures or performing operations on buffers, the system may read beyond the intended memory limits, potentially accessing memory locations that contain cryptographic keys, user credentials, or other sensitive operational data. This type of flaw falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-126 which specifically addresses "Buffer Over-read" conditions where programs read memory beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. The vulnerability demonstrates how insufficient input validation and memory boundary checks can create exploitable conditions in embedded systems where memory corruption directly translates to data exposure.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-13885 extends across multiple security domains and device types within Qualcomm's ecosystem. Automotive systems utilizing these chipsets may face risks to vehicle security features, including infotainment system integrity, telematics communications, and potentially even critical vehicle control functions. Mobile device users could experience exposure of personal data, authentication tokens, or application secrets stored in memory. Industrial IoT deployments may see compromised sensor data, configuration information, or operational parameters that could affect manufacturing processes or safety systems. The vulnerability's presence in multiple chipset families indicates a fundamental flaw in Qualcomm's memory management implementations that affects approximately 30 different processor models. This widespread impact aligns with ATT&CK framework technique T1005 which covers data from local system, as attackers could potentially leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive information from memory.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require both software and hardware-level approaches to address the memory overread condition. System developers should implement comprehensive memory boundary checking mechanisms and employ static analysis tools to identify potential overread scenarios in code. Firmware updates from Qualcomm are essential for addressing the root cause, as the vulnerability exists within the underlying system software and hardware memory management units. Memory protection features such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and memory sanitization techniques should be enabled to reduce the exploitability of such conditions. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish memory integrity checking procedures. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-126 and its potential impact on data confidentiality make it critical for security teams to prioritize remediation efforts across all affected platforms. Regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on memory management practices will help prevent similar issues in future implementations while maintaining compliance with industry standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.