CVE-2020-11306 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Possible integer overflow in RPMB counter due to lack of length check on user provided data in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-11306 represents a critical integer overflow condition within the RPMB (Replay Protection Memory Block) counter mechanism of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. This flaw exists across multiple product lines including automotive, mobile, industrial IoT, and networking solutions, indicating a widespread impact affecting the foundational security infrastructure of numerous devices. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-provided data lengths before processing within the RPMB counter logic, creating a potential pathway for attackers to manipulate counter values through carefully crafted inputs. This integer overflow condition specifically targets the replay protection mechanisms that are essential for maintaining the integrity of secure boot processes and authentication sequences across affected platforms. The RPMB counter serves as a critical component in preventing replay attacks by tracking the number of successful authentication attempts, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could allow adversaries to bypass authentication mechanisms or manipulate secure boot sequences.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper input validation when processing user-supplied data within the RPMB subsystem. When legitimate data is provided to the RPMB counter, the system fails to validate whether the input length exceeds acceptable bounds before performing arithmetic operations on the counter value. This lack of boundary checking allows an attacker to supply malicious input that causes integer overflow conditions, potentially leading to counter wraparound or manipulation of the security state. The vulnerability falls under CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which specifically addresses issues where arithmetic operations produce results that exceed the maximum value representable by the data type. This flaw is particularly concerning because the RPMB counter is designed to prevent replay attacks by ensuring that authentication sequences cannot be repeated, making any manipulation of this counter value a significant security compromise. The integer overflow can result in predictable counter states that attackers can exploit to bypass security checks, effectively rendering the replay protection mechanism ineffective.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-11306 extends across multiple security domains including secure boot processes, authentication mechanisms, and overall device integrity protection. Devices utilizing affected Snapdragon chipsets could become vulnerable to authenticated attackers who manipulate the RPMB counter to bypass secure boot sequences or conduct replay attacks against authentication systems. This vulnerability affects not only mobile devices but also automotive systems, industrial IoT deployments, and networking infrastructure, creating a broad attack surface that could potentially compromise critical systems. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe in automotive applications where secure boot and authentication are essential for vehicle safety systems, and in industrial IoT environments where device integrity directly affects operational security. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to perform device firmware updates without proper authorization, manipulate authentication sequences, or bypass security protocols that depend on the RPMB counter's integrity. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product categories indicates that organizations deploying these chipsets across different domains must consider comprehensive security assessments to identify potential exploitation paths.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-11306 should focus on implementing proper input validation and boundary checking mechanisms within the RPMB counter processing logic. Organizations should ensure that all user-provided data undergoes length validation before being processed by the counter mechanism, preventing integer overflow conditions through proper bounds checking. The implementation should include defensive programming practices such as explicit size validation, overflow detection, and proper error handling when processing RPMB counter data. System administrators and device manufacturers should prioritize firmware updates from Qualcomm that address this vulnerability, particularly in critical deployments such as automotive systems, industrial control networks, and secure communication devices. Additionally, network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous RPMB counter behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, providing an additional layer of defense. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1547.001 (Registry Run Keys/Startup Folder) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) suggests that exploitation could involve manipulating system startup processes or leveraging privilege escalation techniques to gain deeper access. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where the affected devices are connected to critical infrastructure networks.