CVE-2020-11285 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2021
Buffer over-read while unpacking the RTCP packet we may read extra byte if wrong length is provided in RTCP packets in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer over-read condition in the Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) packet processing functionality within various Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. The flaw occurs during the unpacking process of RTCP packets when the system encounters malformed packet length fields, leading to potential unauthorized memory access patterns that could be exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability affects multiple Snapdragon product lines including automotive, mobile, connectivity, and IoT devices, indicating a widespread impact across Qualcomm's hardware ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the RTCP packet parsing routine. When processing RTCP packets, the system fails to properly validate the length field before proceeding with memory allocation and data unpacking operations. This allows an attacker to craft malicious RTCP packets with intentionally corrupted length values that cause the parser to read beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The over-read condition can potentially expose sensitive memory contents including cryptographic keys, session data, or other confidential information stored in adjacent memory regions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems relying on RTCP for real-time communication protocols, particularly in automotive applications where Snapdragon Auto chipsets are deployed. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation, denial of service conditions, or even remote code execution depending on the specific memory locations accessed. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in IoT deployments where devices may be exposed to untrusted network traffic and lack robust security boundaries.
The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses any system utilizing Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets that process RTCP traffic, including VoIP systems, video conferencing applications, and real-time multimedia streaming services. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a memory corruption vulnerability that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or information gathering activities. Security professionals should note the CWE classification of CWE-125 as this represents an out-of-bounds read condition that can lead to system compromise. Mitigation strategies should include firmware updates from device manufacturers, network segmentation to limit RTCP traffic exposure, and implementation of proper packet validation mechanisms at network boundaries. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems and monitoring for suspicious RTCP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.