CVE-2020-11262 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
A race between command submission and destroying the context can cause an invalid context being added to the list leads to use after free issue. 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 critical race condition flaw in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets that affects multiple product lines including automotive, mobile, and IoT devices. The issue occurs when commands are submitted to a hardware context while simultaneously the system attempts to destroy that same context, creating a temporal window where an invalid context can be improperly added to a list structure. This fundamental timing issue stems from insufficient synchronization mechanisms between the command processing and context destruction phases, allowing for memory management inconsistencies that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a classic use-after-free scenario where memory allocated to a hardware context becomes invalid while still being referenced in a list structure. When the race condition manifests, the system may add a freed memory pointer to a context list, creating a situation where subsequent operations attempt to access memory that has already been deallocated. This memory corruption can result in arbitrary code execution or system instability, particularly in environments where hardware contexts manage critical processing tasks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the foundational hardware abstraction layers that underpin device operations across various Snapdragon product categories.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability impacts devices ranging from automotive systems to wearable technology, creating widespread potential for exploitation across multiple attack surfaces. The race condition can be triggered through normal device operations when command submission and context destruction occur in rapid succession, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the timing of these operations to force the use-after-free condition. This creates opportunities for privilege escalation attacks that could compromise device integrity, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data or complete system takeover. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple memory corruption as it can affect device functionality and security posture across the entire Snapdragon ecosystem.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require careful implementation of proper synchronization mechanisms between command processing and context management operations. System designers must implement atomic operations or mutex locks to ensure that context destruction cannot occur while commands are being submitted or processed. Additionally, memory management routines should include validation checks to prevent invalid contexts from being added to lists, and proper memory deallocation procedures should be enforced to prevent premature freeing of resources. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions in concurrent programming environments, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059 for privilege escalation through code injection. Organizations should prioritize firmware updates from device manufacturers and implement runtime monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability's nature makes it particularly challenging to detect through traditional security scanning methods.