CVE-2020-11284 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2021
Locked memory can be unlocked and modified by non secure boot loader through improper system call sequence making the memory region untrusted source of input for secure boot loader in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2021
This vulnerability resides in the Snapdragon automotive and mobile platform ecosystems where secure boot processes are critical for maintaining system integrity. The flaw involves a critical weakness in how system calls are sequenced during memory management operations, specifically affecting the relationship between locked memory regions and the secure boot loader's trust model. The vulnerability allows an attacker with access to a non-secure boot loader to manipulate memory regions that should remain locked and protected, effectively creating a pathway for unauthorized modification of secure system components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory protection mechanisms within the Snapdragon hardware security architecture. When the secure boot loader attempts to validate memory regions, it relies on specific system call sequences that should maintain memory integrity throughout the boot process. However, the flaw permits a non-secure boot loader to bypass these protections through a sequence of system calls that should not be executable in the secure context. This misconfiguration creates a scenario where memory that has been locked for security purposes can be unlocked and modified by unauthorized components, fundamentally undermining the trust model that secure boot relies upon.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive systems, mobile devices, industrial internet of things deployments, and networking infrastructure. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness to modify critical boot components, install malicious firmware, or bypass hardware security features that protect against unauthorized system modifications. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where secure boot is essential for preventing rootkit installations or maintaining the integrity of the boot process, making it a significant concern for automotive security, industrial control systems, and mobile device security.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a privilege escalation issue that undermines the fundamental security boundaries between secure and non-secure execution contexts. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the boot process and memory protection mechanisms. The vulnerability also relates to techniques described in ATT&CK's boot process modification category, where adversaries seek to compromise system integrity before the operating system fully loads. Organizations deploying affected Snapdragon platforms should consider implementing additional runtime monitoring and memory integrity checks to detect unauthorized modifications to protected memory regions.
Mitigation strategies should focus on updating firmware and software components to address the improper system call sequencing that enables this vulnerability. System administrators should ensure that all affected Snapdragon platforms receive security patches that correct the memory protection handling during boot processes. Additionally, implementing memory integrity monitoring and runtime protection mechanisms can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining strict separation between secure and non-secure boot loaders, and organizations should review their security configurations to ensure that memory protection boundaries are properly enforced throughout the system boot sequence. Hardware security modules and trusted platform modules should be configured to validate memory integrity continuously rather than relying solely on initial boot-time protections.