CVE-2018-6267 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
NVIDIA Tegra OpenMax driver (libnvomx) contains a vulnerability in which the software does not validate or incorrectly validates input that can affect the control flow or data flow of a program, which may lead to denial of service or escalation of privileges. Android ID: A-70857947.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6267 resides within the NVIDIA Tegra OpenMax driver component known as libnvomx which operates as a critical interface for multimedia processing on Android devices utilizing NVIDIA Tegra chipsets. This flaw represents a significant security concern as it affects the fundamental control flow mechanisms of the multimedia subsystem, potentially allowing malicious actors to manipulate program execution paths through improper input validation. The vulnerability specifically targets the driver's handling of input parameters within the OpenMax AL (OpenMAX Application Layer) framework, which is responsible for managing audio and video processing tasks across the device's hardware acceleration capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation procedures within the libnvomx component, creating opportunities for attackers to craft malicious input sequences that can disrupt normal program execution. This weakness manifests as a failure to properly validate or incorrect validation of user-supplied data, which falls under the CWE-20 category of "Improper Input Validation" and specifically aligns with CWE-129 "Improper Validation of Array Index." The flaw enables an attacker to potentially manipulate memory access patterns or control flow decisions within the driver's execution environment, creating pathways for privilege escalation from unprivileged user contexts to kernel-level access. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the integrity of the system's security model by allowing unauthorized code execution within the privileged driver context, potentially compromising the entire device's security posture.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to Android devices running on NVIDIA Tegra processors, particularly those utilizing the affected libnvomx driver components. The potential impact includes both denial of service conditions where legitimate multimedia operations may be disrupted or rendered unavailable, and more severe privilege escalation scenarios that could allow attackers to gain root access to the device. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in persistent system instability, unauthorized data access, or complete device compromise, making it particularly dangerous in environments where device security is paramount. The Android ID A-70857947 indicates this issue was recognized and tracked within Google's security framework, highlighting its significance in the mobile security landscape.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6267 should focus on immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, as the vulnerability requires kernel-level patches to address the underlying input validation flaws. System administrators and device users should prioritize applying security updates as soon as they become available through official channels, as the vulnerability's exploitability spans across multiple attack vectors including malicious media files, compromised applications, or network-based attacks targeting the multimedia subsystem. Organizations implementing mobile device management solutions should ensure that their device inventory includes automated patching capabilities for Tegra-based devices, while security researchers should monitor for potential exploit development targeting this specific validation weakness. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation in security-critical driver components and underscores the need for continuous security assessment of hardware abstraction layers within mobile operating systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1068 "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and T1499 "Endpoint Denial of Service" frameworks.