CVE-2019-2334 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE
Null pointer dereferencing can happen when playing the clip with wrong block group id in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, QCS405, QCS605, Qualcomm 215, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 665, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 730, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2334 represents a critical null pointer dereference issue affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset variants across various product lines including automotive, mobile, and IoT devices. This flaw manifests specifically when processing media clips with incorrect block group identifiers, creating a scenario where the system attempts to access memory through a null pointer reference. The vulnerability exists within the multimedia processing subsystem of these chipsets, particularly impacting the handling of media file structures and their associated metadata during playback operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the media decoding pipeline of the affected Qualcomm chipsets. When a malformed media file containing incorrect block group identifiers is processed, the system fails to properly validate the pointer references before attempting to dereference them. This condition creates a path where the application or firmware attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated, leading to system instability and potential crash conditions. The flaw aligns with CWE-476 which specifically addresses null pointer dereference vulnerabilities, representing a fundamental issue in memory management and input validation practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across numerous device categories and deployment scenarios, affecting automotive systems through Snapdragon Auto platforms, consumer IoT devices through Snapdragon Consumer IOT, and mobile devices through Snapdragon Mobile and Voice & Music variants. The widespread nature of affected chipsets means that this vulnerability could potentially impact millions of devices globally, including smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, and industrial IoT deployments. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious media files designed to trigger the null pointer dereference condition, potentially causing system crashes, denial of service conditions, or in more severe scenarios, arbitrary code execution.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution and T1499 for endpoint denial of service. The exploitation potential increases when considering that media files are commonly encountered in user environments, making this a viable attack vector for social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability's presence in automotive platforms specifically raises concerns about vehicle safety systems, as media playback functionality could be leveraged to disrupt vehicle operations. Additionally, the affected chipsets' use in industrial IoT deployments means that critical infrastructure systems could be vulnerable to similar exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, proper input validation mechanisms within media processing applications, and runtime protections such as pointer validation checks. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of affected devices, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for malicious media file delivery attempts, and conduct regular vulnerability assessments targeting the affected chipset families. The remediation process requires coordination between chipset vendors, device manufacturers, and end users to ensure comprehensive coverage of all affected deployments. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies for media processing applications and establishing incident response procedures specifically addressing denial of service conditions in embedded systems.