CVE-2020-11255 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 04/07/2021
Denial of service while processing RTCP packets containing multiple SDES reports due to memory for last SDES packet is freed and rest of the memory is leaked in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2021
This vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive, compute, connectivity, consumer iot, industrial iot, iot, mobile, and wearable platforms where the Real-time Transport Control Protocol implementation fails to properly manage memory allocation during processing of RTCP packets containing multiple SDES (Source Description) reports. The flaw occurs when the system processes multiple SDES items within a single RTCP packet, leading to improper memory management where memory allocated for the last SDES packet is freed while subsequent SDES packet memory remains allocated, creating a memory leak condition. This memory leak directly impacts system stability and can lead to denial of service conditions when the cumulative memory consumption exceeds available system resources. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in automotive and industrial IoT environments where continuous system operation is critical. According to CWE-401, this represents a memory leak weakness where the system fails to properly release allocated memory resources, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for resource exhaustion attacks. The issue stems from inadequate memory management within the RTCP processing module that handles SDES packet parsing, where the code path does not properly account for multiple SDES items in a single packet, leading to the progressive accumulation of leaked memory blocks. The vulnerability affects systems where RTCP packets are regularly processed, particularly in streaming media applications, voice communication systems, and real-time data transmission protocols that rely on SDES reporting for source identification and status information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple Snapdragon platform categories including automotive systems where real-time communication stability is paramount, mobile devices experiencing network traffic processing, and industrial IoT deployments requiring continuous operation. When multiple SDES reports are present in RTCP packets, the system progressively consumes additional memory without proper cleanup, eventually leading to system instability, application crashes, or complete denial of service conditions. The memory leak grows progressively with each affected RTCP packet processing event, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where high-volume RTCP traffic occurs. This affects not only end-user devices but also critical infrastructure systems that rely on Snapdragon processors for communication and control functions. The vulnerability can be exploited through network-based attacks where an attacker sends specially crafted RTCP packets containing multiple SDES items, triggering the memory leak condition. The impact is amplified in automotive applications where communication failures could compromise vehicle safety systems, and in industrial environments where operational continuity is essential for process control and monitoring systems. This vulnerability demonstrates a failure in proper resource management practices and represents a classic example of how memory handling errors in network protocol implementations can lead to system instability and denial of service conditions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware and software updates from Qualcomm to address the memory management issues in the RTCP processing component. System administrators should implement network monitoring to detect unusual RTCP packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and consider implementing rate limiting for RTCP traffic where possible. The recommended approach includes applying vendor patches that fix the memory allocation and deallocation logic within the RTCP packet processing code, ensuring that all SDES items in a packet are properly accounted for during memory management operations. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious RTCP traffic, particularly in automotive and industrial environments where the risk of exploitation could have severe consequences. Additionally, implementing memory monitoring systems that can detect and alert on unusual memory consumption patterns may help identify exploitation attempts before they cause system instability. The solution must address the underlying CWE-401 memory leak issue by ensuring proper cleanup of all allocated memory blocks regardless of the number of SDES items present in RTCP packets, and should include comprehensive testing to verify that memory management functions properly under various packet configurations. This vulnerability underscores the importance of proper memory management in network protocol implementations and the need for thorough security testing of communication stacks in embedded systems.