CVE-2018-5878 in Snapdragon Automobile
Summary
by MITRE
While sending the response to a RIL_REQUEST_GET_SMSC_ADDRESS message, a buffer overflow can occur in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5878 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive, mobile, and wearable device platforms. This flaw specifically manifests during the processing of RIL_REQUEST_GET_SMSC_ADDRESS messages, which are part of the Radio Interface Layer protocol used for communication between cellular modems and application processors. The buffer overflow occurs when the system attempts to handle the response data for SMS service center address requests, creating a potential entry point for malicious exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking within the Qualcomm QMI (Qualcomm MSM Interface) subsystem that manages cellular communication protocols. When a device receives a response containing an SMS service center address, the system fails to properly validate the length of incoming data before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution within the context of the cellular modem processor. The vulnerability affects multiple Snapdragon platform variants including automotive, mobile, and wearable devices, indicating a widespread impact across Qualcomm's product portfolio.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass potential system compromise and data exfiltration capabilities. An attacker with access to send malicious RIL commands could leverage this buffer overflow to execute arbitrary code on the affected device, potentially gaining root access to the cellular modem environment. This could enable persistent backdoor access, allowing attackers to monitor communications, extract sensitive data, or maintain long-term presence on the target device. The vulnerability's presence in automotive platforms particularly raises concerns about vehicle security and potential impact on connected car systems that rely on cellular communication for telematics services and emergency response features.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5878 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, as Qualcomm has released patches addressing this specific buffer overflow condition. Organizations should implement network-based monitoring to detect anomalous RIL command sequences that could indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on SMS service center address requests. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution. Device security teams should also consider implementing memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization to reduce exploit reliability. Regular security assessments of cellular modem firmware and network traffic analysis should be conducted to identify potential exploitation attempts and ensure complete remediation across all affected platforms.