CVE-2019-14019 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple Read overflows issue due to improper length check while decoding RAU accept/PDN disconnect Rej/Modify EPS ctxt req/bearer resource alloc Rej/Deact EPs bearer REq in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in APQ8009, APQ8053, APQ8076, APQ8096, APQ8096AU, APQ8098, MDM9150, MDM9205, MDM9206, MDM9207C, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8905, MSM8909, MSM8909W, MSM8917, MSM8920, MSM8937, MSM8940, MSM8953, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCM2150, QCS605, QM215, Rennell, SC7180, SC8180X, SDA660, SDA845, SDM429, SDM429W, SDM439, SDM450, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SDX20, SDX24, SDX55, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical memory safety issue affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets across various product lines including automotive, mobile, and IoT devices. The flaw manifests as multiple read overflows occurring during the decoding process of specific radio access unit (RAU) messages and related protocol operations. These include RAU accept, PDN disconnect rejection, EPS context request modification, bearer resource allocation rejection, and EPS bearer deactivation requests. The root cause stems from inadequate length validation mechanisms within the protocol decoding routines, allowing maliciously crafted packets to trigger buffer overflow conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system crashes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of message length fields during protocol parsing operations. When the system receives network traffic containing RAU or related EPS protocol messages, it fails to properly validate the expected message length against the actual data received. This validation gap enables attackers to craft packets with malformed length indicators that cause the system to read beyond allocated memory boundaries. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Qualcomm chipsets spanning from entry-level processors like MSM8905 to high-end mobile platforms such as SDM850 and SDX55, indicating a systemic issue within the underlying protocol handling codebase.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications for devices utilizing affected Snapdragon chipsets. The read overflow conditions can potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code within the context of the affected system components, leading to complete system compromise. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to device functionality, potentially enabling data exfiltration, persistent backdoor installation, or denial of service conditions. The widespread impact across multiple product categories including automotive systems, consumer IoT devices, and mobile platforms amplifies the potential attack surface and makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise and industrial deployments.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a classic buffer overflow scenario where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and potentially T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. The affected devices are particularly vulnerable due to the nature of their continuous network connectivity and the critical role these chipsets play in device operation. Mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious network traffic patterns. Additionally, implementing proper input validation mechanisms and boundary checks within protocol handling code should be prioritized to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future implementations.