CVE-2020-11178 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Trusted APPS to overwrite the CPZ memory of another use-case as TZ only checks the physical address not overlapping with its memory and its RoT memory in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
This vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive and IoT platforms where Trusted Applications can potentially overwrite Critical Process Zone memory belonging to other use-cases. The flaw stems from insufficient memory management validation within the TrustZone environment, specifically in how the system handles memory address validation during memory operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple product lines including automotive, industrial IoT, mobile, and networking solutions, indicating a widespread architectural weakness in Qualcomm's TrustZone implementation.
The technical root cause lies in the TrustZone memory management system's failure to properly validate memory overlaps when multiple applications operate within the secure environment. While the system does check physical addresses against its own memory boundaries and Read-Only Trusted (RoT) memory locations, it fails to verify whether these addresses overlap with memory regions allocated to other use-cases or applications. This creates a potential attack surface where a malicious or compromised Trusted Application could manipulate memory contents of other processes, effectively bypassing the isolation mechanisms designed to protect critical system functions. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-129 as an Improper Input Validation, specifically related to memory address validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant across multiple domains. In automotive applications, this could enable attackers to compromise vehicle control systems or manipulate critical safety functions through memory corruption. For industrial IoT deployments, the vulnerability could allow adversaries to disrupt operations or gain unauthorized access to sensitive industrial processes. The mobile and networking product lines are also at risk, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or access confidential data. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, and T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, as it provides a pathway for unauthorized memory manipulation that could lead to broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive memory address validation mechanisms within TrustZone, including proper overlap detection between different use-case memory regions. Organizations should ensure that all Trusted Applications undergo rigorous security testing and that memory management policies are enforced through hardware-level protections rather than relying solely on software validation. The implementation of additional memory isolation checks and proper address space validation should be prioritized. System administrators should also consider implementing runtime monitoring to detect anomalous memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in secure enclaves and underscores the need for robust validation mechanisms in trusted execution environments.