CVE-2019-2249 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Kernel can do a memory read from arbitrary address passed by user during execution of a syscall in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in IPQ8074, MDM9205, MDM9650, QCA8081, QCS605, SD 427, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 636, SD 665, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 730, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SD 8CX, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2019
This vulnerability represents a critical kernel memory read flaw that exists within Qualcomm's Snapdragon automotive, mobile, and industrial platforms. The issue manifests during syscall execution when the kernel accepts an arbitrary memory address from user space, potentially allowing unauthorized memory access. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Snapdragon chipsets including the IPQ8074, MDM9205, MDM9650, QCA8081, QCS605, and numerous SD series processors. This flaw directly impacts automotive systems, consumer IoT devices, industrial IoT infrastructure, mobile platforms, and wired networking equipment, making it particularly concerning for connected vehicle ecosystems and industrial control systems. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within kernel-level system calls, where user-provided memory addresses are not properly sanitized before being dereferenced.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the kernel's handling of user-space memory references during syscall processing, creating a path for potential information disclosure and privilege escalation. When a syscall executes with user-provided memory addresses, the kernel performs memory reads without adequate bounds checking or address validation, allowing malicious actors to potentially access kernel memory regions. This type of vulnerability maps to CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which specifically addresses memory access violations that can occur when programs read memory beyond allocated buffers or valid address ranges. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious system calls that pass crafted memory addresses to kernel functions, potentially exposing sensitive kernel data structures, credentials, or cryptographic keys stored in memory.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-2249 extends across multiple security domains particularly affecting automotive cybersecurity, industrial control systems, and mobile device security. In automotive environments, this vulnerability could enable attackers to extract sensitive vehicle data, access authentication credentials, or potentially manipulate vehicle control systems through information disclosure attacks. The widespread chipset distribution across various product lines means that numerous connected devices could be vulnerable, creating a substantial attack surface for threat actors targeting industrial IoT deployments. The vulnerability also poses significant risks to mobile platforms where it could facilitate privilege escalation attacks, allowing unprivileged processes to access kernel memory and potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, as it enables unauthorized memory access and potential privilege elevation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and system administrators to patch affected Snapdragon chipsets. The most effective approach involves implementing proper address validation and bounds checking within kernel system call handlers, ensuring that user-provided memory addresses are validated before any memory operations occur. Organizations should deploy runtime monitoring solutions to detect anomalous memory access patterns and implement memory protection mechanisms such as kernel address space layout randomization. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around affected systems to limit potential attack vectors. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices in kernel development and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of system call interfaces. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other kernel components, while maintaining awareness of similar vulnerabilities in the broader Qualcomm chipset ecosystem.