CVE-2020-0273 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In hwservicemanager, there is a possible out of bounds write due to freeing a wild pointer. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-155646800
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-0273 resides within the hwservicemanager component of Android operating systems, specifically affecting Android 11 builds. This critical security flaw manifests as a potential out-of-bounds write condition that arises from improper memory management practices. The issue stems from the freeing of a wild pointer, a scenario where a program attempts to free memory that has already been freed or is not properly allocated, creating unpredictable behavior in the system's memory management subsystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within the realm of memory safety issues, specifically categorized under CWE-415 which addresses double free conditions and CWE-416 which covers use after free scenarios. The hwservicemanager serves as a critical system component responsible for managing hardware services and their communication with the Android framework, making it an attractive target for privilege escalation attacks. When a wild pointer is freed, it creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially overwrite critical system structures or function pointers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables local privilege escalation without requiring any additional execution privileges or user interaction for exploitation. This means that any malicious application or process running with standard user privileges could potentially leverage this flaw to gain elevated system-level access. The attack vector does not require user intervention, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically by malware or malicious applications already present on the device. The vulnerability essentially allows an attacker to corrupt memory in a way that could lead to arbitrary code execution with system-level privileges.
From an adversary perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation tactics, specifically targeting system services and memory corruption methods. The exploitation process likely involves crafting specific inputs or service requests that trigger the memory management error, allowing the attacker to manipulate the freed memory pointer to point to critical system structures. The fact that no user interaction is required makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for mobile environments where applications may have access to various system resources and services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on implementing proper memory management practices and strengthening the hwservicemanager component's memory handling routines. Android security patches typically address such issues by introducing additional validation checks, proper pointer management, and ensuring that freed memory locations are properly sanitized before being reused. System administrators should ensure that devices are updated with the latest security patches, and organizations should implement robust mobile device management policies to monitor and enforce timely updates. Additionally, runtime memory protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and stack canaries can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts targeting similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.