CVE-2021-0458 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2021
In the FingerTipS touch screen driver, there is a possible out of bounds read due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local information disclosure with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-157156744
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2021
The vulnerability CVE-2021-0458 resides within the FingerTipS touch screen driver component of the Android kernel ecosystem, representing a critical security flaw that demonstrates the complex interplay between hardware abstraction layers and kernel-level software execution. This issue manifests as an integer overflow condition that occurs during the processing of touch input events, specifically within the driver's handling of touch coordinates and touch point data structures. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions that can lead to unpredictable behavior and potential security breaches. The FingerTipS driver serves as a crucial interface between the physical touch screen hardware and the Android operating system's input subsystem, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its privileged execution context and direct hardware interaction capabilities.
The technical flaw emerges from improper bounds checking within the driver's data processing routines where integer variables fail to properly validate input parameters before performing arithmetic operations. When a malicious actor or compromised application submits crafted touch data with intentionally malformed coordinate values, the driver's integer overflow condition causes the system to read memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. This out-of-bounds read operation can potentially expose sensitive kernel memory contents including cryptographic keys, credential information, or other confidential data structures that reside in adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability requires system-level execution privileges for exploitation, indicating that the attacker must already possess elevated access rights within the Android environment, typically achieved through prior compromise or privilege escalation attacks. However, the exploitation process itself does not require user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered automatically through legitimate system processes or malicious applications that have already gained sufficient privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked kernel memory could contain critical system information that could be leveraged for further exploitation attempts. The exposed data might include memory addresses of kernel functions, security module states, or other sensitive information that could facilitate advanced attacks such as kernel exploitation or privilege escalation to root-level access. Attackers could potentially use the leaked information to bypass security mechanisms like kernel address space layout randomization or to craft more sophisticated attacks against the Android kernel. The vulnerability's presence in the Android kernel means that successful exploitation could affect all devices running vulnerable versions of the Android operating system, particularly those utilizing the specific FingerTipS touch screen driver implementation. The Android ID A-157156744 indicates this vulnerability was tracked and addressed within Google's internal security tracking systems, demonstrating the severity of the issue from a vendor perspective.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-0458 should focus on both immediate patch deployment and broader security hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize applying the latest Android security patches that contain fixes for the integer overflow condition in the FingerTipS driver, ensuring that all affected devices receive timely updates. Additionally, implementing runtime protections such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and kernel memory protection mechanisms can help prevent exploitation even if the underlying vulnerability remains unpatched. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would place it within the privilege escalation and defense evasion domains, as it represents a potential path for attackers to gain deeper system access. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous touch input patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining strict access controls to prevent unauthorized applications from gaining the system execution privileges necessary for successful exploitation. Regular security assessments of kernel modules and driver implementations should be conducted to identify similar integer overflow conditions that could present similar risks to the Android platform's overall security posture.