CVE-2019-2324 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
When ADSP is compromised, the audio port index that`s returned from ADSP might be out of the valid range and leads to out of boundary access in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 665, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 730, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDX20, SDX24
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2019
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow condition affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon system-on-chip platforms within the Android Debug Subsystem Processor domain. The flaw manifests when the ADSP component becomes compromised, leading to improper validation of audio port index values returned by the processor. This condition creates a scenario where the system attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, fundamentally compromising system stability and security integrity. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Qualcomm automotive, connectivity, consumer IoT, industrial IoT, mobile, voice/music, and wearable platforms, indicating a widespread impact across multiple product lines and use cases.
The technical execution of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking within the audio processing subsystem of the ADSP. When the compromised processor returns an audio port index that exceeds the valid range, the system's memory management mechanisms fail to properly validate this input before proceeding with memory access operations. This lack of proper input sanitization creates a classic buffer overflow condition that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause system crashes. The vulnerability's impact extends across multiple generations of Snapdragon chips including the MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 665, SD 675, SD 712/SD 710/SD 670, SD 730, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 845/SD 850, SD 855, SDX20, and SDX24 platforms, demonstrating the extensive scope of affected hardware.
The operational impact of this vulnerability poses significant risks to device security and functionality. An attacker who can compromise the ADSP component could potentially exploit this buffer overflow to gain unauthorized code execution privileges, leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability creates opportunities for persistent backdoor access, data exfiltration, and system manipulation across automotive, mobile, and IoT environments where these Snapdragon platforms are deployed. This represents a severe threat to automotive safety systems, mobile device security, and IoT infrastructure that relies on these processors for audio and communication functions. The exploitation of this vulnerability could result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, system instability, and potential physical safety risks in automotive applications where audio and communication systems are critical.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and system administrators to patch the affected ADSP components. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit potential exploitation vectors, while also monitoring for unusual system behavior that might indicate compromise. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments across all affected platforms to identify potential exploitation attempts and ensure proper input validation mechanisms are in place. The remediation process must include thorough testing of updated firmware to verify that the buffer overflow conditions have been properly addressed while maintaining system functionality. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a significant concern for the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and execution techniques, particularly in mobile and automotive environments where system integrity is paramount for safety and security.