CVE-2020-11160 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Resource leakage issue during dci client registration due to reference count is not decremented if dci client registration fails in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-11160 represents a critical resource management flaw affecting multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive, consumer IoT, industrial IoT, mobile, voice/music, and wearable devices. This issue manifests as a resource leakage condition that occurs during the dci client registration process when the system fails to properly decrement reference counts upon registration failure. The flaw exists within the Snapdragon hardware and software ecosystem, specifically impacting the dci client implementation that manages device connectivity and communication protocols.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper reference counting mechanisms within the dci client registration framework. When a dci client registration attempt fails, the system should automatically decrement the reference count to properly release allocated resources and maintain system stability. However, in the affected Snapdragon implementations, this decrement operation is omitted during failure scenarios, leading to persistent resource allocation that accumulates over time. This resource leakage directly violates fundamental principles of memory management and system resource handling, creating potential system instability and performance degradation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple device categories and deployment scenarios within the Snapdragon ecosystem. In automotive applications, this could lead to progressive system degradation affecting vehicle connectivity and safety-critical functions. For IoT devices, the resource leakage could result in increased power consumption, reduced device lifespan, and potential service disruptions. Mobile and wearable devices may experience performance degradation, application crashes, or unexpected device shutdowns. The cumulative effect of unmanaged resource allocation can eventually lead to system instability, particularly in environments where dci client registration occurs frequently or under high load conditions. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-404, which specifically addresses improper resource management and resource leaks, and represents a significant concern for embedded systems where resource constraints are critical.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper reference counting mechanisms throughout the dci client registration process. System developers must ensure that all code paths, including error and failure scenarios, properly decrement reference counts before terminating registration operations. This includes implementing robust error handling routines that guarantee resource cleanup regardless of registration outcome. The fix should be applied across all affected Snapdragon product lines and requires thorough testing to validate proper resource management behavior under various failure conditions. Additionally, system monitoring capabilities should be enhanced to detect and alert on resource consumption patterns that might indicate similar issues. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper resource management in embedded systems and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1490, which addresses resource exhaustion attacks that can be facilitated by improper resource handling. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems and implementing comprehensive testing procedures to validate resource management behaviors in their deployed Snapdragon-based devices.