CVE-2020-11240 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Memory corruption due to ioctl command size was incorrectly set to the size of a pointer and not enough storage is allocated for the copy of the user argument in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, 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
This vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs within the kernel-level ioctl interface of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. The flaw stems from an incorrect ioctl command size specification where the command is defined with the size of a pointer rather than the actual required storage space for user arguments. This misconfiguration leads to insufficient memory allocation during the copy operation from user space to kernel space, creating a scenario where malicious input can overwrite adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability affects multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive, mobile, connectivity, and IoT devices, indicating a widespread impact across Qualcomm's chipset portfolio. The technical implementation involves kernel driver interfaces that handle device-specific commands through ioctl system calls, where the kernel incorrectly calculates memory boundaries during argument copying operations.
The operational impact of this memory corruption vulnerability is significant as it provides potential attack vectors for privilege escalation and system compromise across various device categories. Attackers could exploit this flaw by crafting malicious ioctl commands with oversized payloads that exceed the allocated buffer space, leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The vulnerability's presence in Snapdragon Auto and Industrial IoT products raises particular concerns given the critical nature of these systems where compromised devices could lead to safety hazards or operational disruptions. From a cybersecurity perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-121 which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a common attack surface identified in the ATT&CK framework under T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation. The vulnerability demonstrates how improper input validation and memory management in kernel drivers can create persistent security weaknesses that affect entire product families.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate patching and architectural improvements to prevent similar issues. Qualcomm must provide firmware updates that correct the ioctl command size definitions and ensure proper memory allocation for user argument copies. System administrators should implement monitoring for unusual ioctl activity and maintain updated security patches across all affected Snapdragon-based devices. The fix requires careful attention to memory management practices in kernel space, ensuring that buffer sizes are properly calculated based on actual data requirements rather than pointer sizes. Organizations using affected devices should conduct thorough risk assessments considering the potential for remote exploitation in network-connected systems, particularly in automotive and industrial environments where the attack surface may be larger. Additionally, defensive measures including kernel memory protection features and runtime monitoring should be enabled to detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting this specific memory corruption pattern.