CVE-2019-14134 in Snapdragon Compute
Summary
by MITRE
Possible out of bound access in WLAN handler when the received value of length in rx path is shorter than the expected value of country IE in Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in IPQ8074, QCA8081, QCS605, SDA845, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SXR1130
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical out-of-bounds memory access condition within the wireless local area network handler of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, affecting a broad range of mobile and IoT devices. The flaw occurs during the reception of wireless frames when processing the country information element, where the system fails to properly validate the length parameter of incoming data. When the received length value is shorter than the expected country information element structure, the wlan handler attempts to access memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, creating a potential exploitation vector for malicious actors. This issue impacts multiple Snapdragon platform variants including the IPQ8074, QCA8081, QCS605, SDA845, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, and SXR1130 chipsets, indicating a widespread vulnerability across Qualcomm's product portfolio.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the wireless frame processing pipeline, specifically in how the system handles the country information element during reception. According to CWE-129, this represents an implementation of improper input validation where the length field of a received wireless frame is not properly checked against expected values before memory operations. The vulnerability manifests as a buffer underflow condition when the wlan handler attempts to parse the country IE, which typically contains regulatory domain information for wireless transmissions. The flaw can be exploited by sending specially crafted wireless frames that contain malformed country IE data with insufficient length values, causing the processor to access memory locations outside the intended buffer boundaries. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic, though more accurately it represents a memory corruption primitive that could enable privilege escalation or system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-14134 extends across multiple device categories including smartphones, IoT sensors, industrial automation systems, and networking equipment that utilize Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on affected devices, leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor access. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in mobile environments where devices continuously process wireless frames from various sources, including potentially malicious wireless access points or compromised devices within the network. In industrial and infrastructure settings, this could lead to unauthorized access to critical systems, disruption of operations, or data breaches that compromise network security. The exploitation of this vulnerability could also enable attackers to bypass security mechanisms within the wireless subsystem, potentially affecting network-wide security posture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, as Qualcomm has released patches addressing the buffer validation issue. System administrators should prioritize deployment of these updates across all affected devices and platforms. Network monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous wireless frame patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on malformed country information elements. Device manufacturers should implement additional input validation layers within their wireless processing stacks, ensuring proper bounds checking before memory access operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices in wireless protocol implementations, emphasizing the need for comprehensive testing of boundary conditions and input validation. Organizations should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify all devices utilizing affected Snapdragon chipsets and establish monitoring procedures for detecting potential exploitation attempts through wireless frame analysis and network behavior monitoring.