CVE-2019-2284 in Snapdragon Compute
Summary
by MITRE
Possible use-after-free issue due to a race condition while calling camera ioctl concurrently in Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in MSM8909W, QCS405, QCS605, Qualcomm 215, SD 425, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 625, SD 632, SD 665, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 730, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDM439, SDX24
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-2284 represents a critical use-after-free condition that emerges from a race condition during concurrent execution of camera ioctl operations within various Qualcomm Snapdragon processor platforms. This issue affects a broad range of mobile and embedded systems that utilize Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets, spanning from consumer devices to industrial IoT applications. The fundamental problem lies in the improper handling of memory resources when multiple threads attempt to access camera control interfaces simultaneously, creating a temporal window where freed memory regions may still be referenced by other processes.
The technical flaw manifests as a race condition in the kernel-level camera driver implementation where concurrent ioctl calls can lead to improper memory management. When multiple processes or threads invoke camera control operations simultaneously, the system fails to properly synchronize access to shared resources, resulting in memory being freed while still referenced by other active processes. This memory corruption vulnerability can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, as the freed memory locations may be reallocated and manipulated by an attacker to gain control over the execution flow. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the kernel level where it can bypass standard user-space protections and directly compromise system integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across numerous Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms including the MSM8909W, QCS405, QCS605, and various SD series processors. Attackers can leverage this weakness to escalate privileges from user-level applications to kernel-level execution, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects devices running Android and other operating systems that utilize Qualcomm's camera subsystem, making it relevant to smartphones, tablets, wearables, and embedded IoT devices. The race condition nature means that successful exploitation is probabilistic but highly likely on devices with multiple concurrent camera operations, particularly those running multiple applications that access camera functionality simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-2284 should focus on implementing proper synchronization mechanisms within the kernel driver code to prevent concurrent access to shared camera resources. System vendors should prioritize applying security patches that address the race condition through mutex locks or other thread synchronization primitives. Additionally, implementing kernel memory protection features such as stack canaries, kernel address space layout randomization, and control flow integrity checks can help prevent exploitation. Organizations should also consider monitoring for unusual camera ioctl activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and maintain updated threat intelligence regarding similar vulnerabilities in the Qualcomm ecosystem. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416 which describes use-after-free conditions, and represents a significant concern under ATT&CK technique T1068 for privilege escalation through kernel vulnerabilities.