CVE-2019-2263 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Access to freed memory can happen while reading from diag driver due to use after free issue in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in IPQ4019, IPQ8064, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, QCA9531, QCA9980, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 636, SD 650/52, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SDM660, SDX20, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2263 represents a critical use after free condition affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon processor families and their associated diagnostic drivers. This flaw manifests within the diagnostic subsystem of various mobile and IoT platforms, creating potential pathways for unauthorized access to memory regions that have already been released by the system. The issue occurs specifically during read operations from the diagnostic driver interface, where the system attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior and system instability.
This memory corruption vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the diagnostic driver implementation, where the system fails to properly validate memory references before accessing them. The flaw exists across a broad range of Qualcomm chipsets including IPQ4019, IPQ8064, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, QCA9531, QCA9980, and numerous SD series processors. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use after free conditions, making it a well-documented memory safety issue that has been extensively studied in cybersecurity contexts. The diagnostic driver interface serves as a critical communication channel between the device firmware and external diagnostic tools, making it an attractive target for exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes or instability, as it can potentially enable attackers to execute arbitrary code within the device's memory space. When a use after free condition occurs, malicious actors can manipulate the freed memory region to inject code or redirect execution flows, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects devices running on these processors in automotive, industrial, and consumer IoT environments, creating widespread exposure across multiple sectors. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, as the memory corruption could potentially be leveraged to gain elevated privileges. The diagnostic driver interface often operates with elevated privileges, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could allow attackers to bypass normal access controls and gain deeper system access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2263 require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, as Qualcomm has released patches addressing the memory management issues in their diagnostic drivers. System administrators should implement network segmentation to limit access to diagnostic interfaces and ensure that only authorized personnel can interact with these potentially vulnerable components. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper memory management practices in embedded systems, particularly in automotive and industrial applications where device reliability is paramount. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their device fleets to identify systems running affected Snapdragon processors and ensure timely patch deployment. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual diagnostic driver access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The use of runtime protection mechanisms and memory safety checks can provide additional layers of defense, though these are secondary to proper patch management and system hardening practices.