CVE-2019-2237 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Failure in taking appropriate action to handle the error case If keypad gpio deactivation fails leads to silent failure scenario and subsequent logic gets executed everytime in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile in MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 730, SD 8CX, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-2237 represents a critical failure in error handling mechanisms within Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive and mobile platform firmware implementations. This issue manifests when the system fails to properly manage the gpio deactivation process for keypad components, resulting in a silent failure condition that goes unnoticed by the operating system. The flaw exists across multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive, consumer electronics connectivity, consumer IoT, and industrial IoT platforms, indicating a widespread architectural weakness that affects numerous device categories. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it operates in a manner that allows subsequent logic to execute despite the underlying hardware failure, creating a false sense of operational integrity.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error checking and handling procedures within the gpio management subsystem. When the keypad gpio deactivation process encounters an issue, the system should ideally trigger an error response mechanism that prevents further execution or alerts the system to the failure condition. However, the current implementation fails to properly detect and respond to this error state, allowing the system to proceed as if the operation completed successfully. This silent failure scenario can lead to unpredictable behavior where the system continues to operate with potentially corrupted or incomplete hardware state information. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-754, which deals with weakness in which the code does not properly handle error conditions, and represents a specific instance of CWE-252, indicating that the code does not check for errors or handle them properly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple functional degradation to potentially compromise system reliability and security across multiple device categories. In automotive applications using Snapdragon Auto platforms, this could lead to unexpected behavior in vehicle control systems where keypad inputs are critical for operation. The affected platforms include MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, and various SD series processors, indicating this affects both modem and application processor implementations. In mobile devices, this could result in keypad functionality becoming unreliable or completely non-responsive while the system continues to operate normally, creating user confusion and potential security implications. The vulnerability also affects consumer electronics and IoT devices, where silent hardware failures could lead to complete system malfunction or security breaches.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive error detection and handling mechanisms throughout the gpio management subsystem. System designers should ensure that all gpio operations include proper validation checks and that failure conditions trigger appropriate system responses rather than allowing silent continuation. This includes implementing proper logging mechanisms that record gpio deactivation failures and alert system administrators to potential hardware issues. The solution should also incorporate redundant error checking procedures that verify the success of gpio operations before proceeding with dependent logic. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged by adversaries to create persistent system instability or to mask other malicious activities by exploiting the silent failure behavior. Organizations should implement firmware update procedures to address this vulnerability and establish monitoring protocols that can detect unusual patterns in gpio operation that might indicate similar silent failure conditions. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing of gpio deactivation scenarios to ensure that error conditions are properly handled and that system behavior remains predictable even when hardware components fail.