CVE-2019-10486 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition due to the lack of resource lock which will be concurrently modified in the memcpy statement leads to out of bound access in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in APQ8009, APQ8017, APQ8053, APQ8096AU, APQ8098, MDM9206, MDM9207C, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8905, MSM8909W, MSM8939, MSM8953, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCN7605, QCS405, QCS605, QM215, SDA660, SDA845, SDM429, SDM439, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM710, SDM845, SDX20, SDX24, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
This vulnerability represents a critical race condition flaw in multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon processor variants affecting automotive, consumer electronics, industrial IoT, and mobile connectivity devices. The core issue stems from insufficient resource locking mechanisms during concurrent memory operations, specifically within the memcpy function implementation. When multiple threads or processes attempt to access and modify the same memory region simultaneously without proper synchronization, the system fails to maintain data integrity during the copy operation. This fundamental concurrency flaw creates a predictable pathway for out-of-bounds memory access violations that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical execution of this vulnerability leverages the inherent timing issues present in concurrent programming environments where memory operations are not properly protected by mutex locks or other synchronization primitives. The memcpy statement, which is designed to copy data from one memory location to another, becomes a vector for exploitation when the source or destination memory regions are being modified concurrently by different execution threads. This creates a window of opportunity where the memory copy operation can access memory locations beyond the intended boundaries, potentially leading to memory corruption, information disclosure, or system instability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects a broad spectrum of Qualcomm-based devices including automotive infotainment systems, mobile phones, IoT sensors, and industrial connectivity modules. The exploitation of this race condition can result in arbitrary code execution, system crashes, or privilege escalation depending on the specific implementation and target system architecture. The widespread presence of these affected processors across multiple device categories means that the potential attack surface is extensive, covering everything from consumer smartphones to industrial control systems. The vulnerability's presence in both automotive and industrial IoT applications raises particular concerns regarding safety-critical systems where system reliability is paramount.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions in concurrent programming environments, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through system commands or memory corruption. The lack of proper resource locking mechanisms directly violates fundamental security principles for concurrent programming and represents a classic example of improper resource management in multi-threaded environments. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from device manufacturers, code-level protections through proper synchronization mechanisms, and runtime monitoring for suspicious memory access patterns. The vulnerability underscores the importance of rigorous security testing for concurrent programming scenarios and highlights the need for adherence to secure coding practices in embedded system development.