CVE-2019-9258 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In wifilogd, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10Android ID: A-113655028
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-9258 resides within the wifilogd component of Android systems, specifically affecting Android 10 releases. This issue represents a critical security flaw that stems from an insufficient bounds checking mechanism within the wireless logging daemon. The wifilogd process operates with elevated privileges to manage wireless network logging activities, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability manifests as an out-of-bounds write condition that occurs when the system fails to validate input data lengths before processing them within memory buffers.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the wifilogd service failing to properly validate the size of incoming data packets or log entries before writing them to allocated memory regions. When malformed or oversized data is processed, the application writes beyond the intended buffer boundaries, potentially overwriting adjacent memory locations. This memory corruption can be exploited by local malicious processes to manipulate the execution flow of the wifilogd service. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no user interaction for exploitation, meaning an attacker can leverage this flaw without any direct user engagement or specific attack vectors.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for Android devices running version 10, as it enables local privilege escalation without requiring any additional execution privileges or user interaction. An attacker with local access to a device can potentially leverage this flaw to gain elevated system privileges, thereby compromising the entire device. The attack surface is broad since wifilogd typically runs with system-level permissions and handles sensitive network logging information. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could allow an attacker to access or modify critical system components, potentially leading to full device compromise or persistent backdoor access.
The exploitability of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' through the use of system-level services and daemon processes. The absence of user interaction requirements makes this vector particularly stealthy and dangerous in real-world scenarios. This flaw also corresponds to CWE-121, which describes 'Stack-based Buffer Overflow' and CWE-787, which addresses 'Out-of-bounds Write' conditions. The lack of bounds checking in the wifilogd implementation represents a fundamental security oversight that could be exploited by various attack vectors, including crafted log entries or network packets that trigger the vulnerable code path. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching the affected Android versions and monitoring for suspicious activity related to wireless network logging processes.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize the immediate deployment of Android security patches that address the specific bounds checking deficiencies in wifilogd. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls around wireless logging services and establish baseline behaviors for normal wifilogd operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of thorough input validation in system-level services and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of daemon processes that operate with elevated privileges. Regular security audits of system components and implementation of automated vulnerability scanning tools can help identify similar bounds checking issues in other system services that may be susceptible to similar exploitation patterns.