CVE-2019-2311 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Possible buffer overflow in WLAN handler due to lack of validation of destination buffer size before copying it in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in APQ8009, APQ8017, APQ8053, APQ8096, APQ8096AU, APQ8098, IPQ8074, MDM9206, MDM9207C, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8996, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, QCA6174A, QCA6574, QCA6574AU, QCA6584, QCA6584AU, QCA8081, QCA9377, QCA9379, QCA9886, QCS605, SA6155P, SDA660, SDA845, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SDX20, SDX24, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SXR1130
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the wireless local area network handler component of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset family. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of destination buffer sizes before data copying operations occur, creating a potential pathway for arbitrary code execution or system compromise. The vulnerability affects a broad range of automotive, consumer electronics, industrial IoT, and networking products that utilize these chipsets, making it particularly concerning due to its widespread impact across multiple product categories and deployment scenarios. The issue manifests in the WLAN processing subsystem where input data is copied into memory buffers without proper bounds checking, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory regions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure to validate buffer boundaries during wireless data processing operations. When wireless frames or packets are received and processed by the WLAN handler, the system does not adequately verify that the destination buffer has sufficient capacity to accommodate the incoming data. This omission creates a classic buffer overflow scenario where maliciously crafted wireless packets could trigger memory corruption. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the hardware level within the baseband processor, making exploitation potentially more difficult to detect and prevent compared to software-level vulnerabilities. The flaw aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a common pattern in embedded systems where memory management is critical but often complex.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple industry sectors including automotive systems, industrial automation, consumer electronics, and networking infrastructure. In automotive applications such as Snapdragon Auto products, this could potentially affect vehicle connectivity systems, infotainment, and telematics functions, creating risks for both passenger safety and data privacy. For industrial IoT deployments using Snapdragon Industrial IOT chipsets, the vulnerability could compromise critical infrastructure monitoring and control systems. The widespread adoption of these chipsets across various product lines means that exploitation could affect millions of devices simultaneously, with potential for cascading failures in connected systems. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service conditions that could persist across system reboots.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require multiple layers of protection across different system components. Immediate hardware-level patches from Qualcomm are essential, but organizations should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous wireless traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature suggests that implementing proper input validation at the wireless protocol level could prevent exploitation, though this requires firmware updates across all affected chipsets. Organizations should also consider network-based intrusion detection systems specifically designed to monitor for wireless protocol anomalies and implement strict access controls for wireless networks. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of applying the principle of least privilege in embedded systems and maintaining up-to-date firmware across all connected devices. The ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter usage would be relevant for detecting potential exploitation attempts, while T1566.001 covers the initial compromise through spearphishing attachments or malicious wireless packets. Regular security assessments of wireless infrastructure components and implementing robust patch management processes are crucial for protecting against this and similar vulnerabilities.