CVE-2020-11161 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Out-of-bounds memory access can occur while calculating alignment requirements for a negative width from external components in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical out-of-bounds memory access flaw that manifests when processing alignment calculations for negative width values originating from external components within various Snapdragon product lines. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and boundary checking mechanisms that fail to properly handle negative width parameters during memory alignment computations. When external systems or components provide negative width values, the memory allocation and alignment algorithms do not adequately validate these inputs, leading to unpredictable memory access patterns that can result in system instability or potential exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs at the memory management layer where alignment requirements are calculated based on width parameters that should theoretically always be positive integers. However, when negative values are processed, the alignment calculation algorithms perform arithmetic operations that exceed the allocated memory boundaries, creating opportunities for memory corruption. This flaw specifically affects Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, and Snapdragon Voice & Music product families, indicating a widespread impact across multiple hardware platforms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses insufficient validation of length parameters, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for automotive systems, industrial IoT deployments, and mobile devices where memory corruption could lead to system crashes, data loss, or potentially more severe consequences depending on the execution context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it can enable attackers to manipulate memory layout patterns and potentially execute arbitrary code within the affected systems. Attackers could leverage this flaw by injecting negative width values through external interfaces or component communications, causing the system to allocate memory incorrectly and potentially overwrite critical system data structures. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Snapdragon product categories suggests that mitigation strategies must address the root cause at the memory management level rather than implementing patchwork solutions. Organizations should implement robust input validation mechanisms that explicitly check for negative width values and reject or properly handle such inputs before they reach the alignment calculation routines. Additionally, memory safety enhancements such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and memory access controls should be deployed to limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and memory corruption techniques, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both the immediate flaw and broader system security postures.