CVE-2024-27236 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2024
In aoc_unlocked_ioctl of aoc.c, there is a possible memory corruption due to type confusion. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-27236 resides within the aoc_unlocked_ioctl function in the aoc.c kernel driver, representing a critical type confusion flaw that can result in memory corruption. This issue affects the Android Open Source Project kernel components and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in how the system handles ioctl operations for device communication. The vulnerability manifests when the kernel fails to properly validate data types during ioctl processing, creating opportunities for malicious code to manipulate memory structures through crafted input parameters. The type confusion occurs at the kernel level where different data types are incorrectly interpreted or treated as equivalent, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential memory corruption. This flaw specifically impacts the device driver interface that manages communication between user-space applications and kernel-space hardware components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the ioctl handling function. When user-space applications invoke the ioctl system call on the affected device, the kernel processes these requests without sufficient type checking or validation of parameter structures. This allows an attacker to pass maliciously crafted data that the kernel interprets as a different data type than intended, causing memory corruption through improper memory access patterns. The flaw operates at the kernel level where memory management and data type handling are critical for system security, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring any special execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability's exploitation path is straightforward since the kernel driver interface does not implement proper type validation mechanisms to prevent such confusion.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-27236 represents a severe local privilege escalation vulnerability that allows attackers to gain elevated system privileges without requiring additional permissions or user interaction. This means that any user with access to the affected system can potentially exploit this vulnerability to execute code with kernel-level privileges, effectively compromising the entire system. The lack of user interaction requirement makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically without any human intervention. Attackers can leverage this flaw to bypass security restrictions, modify system files, install malware, or establish persistent backdoors within the system. The vulnerability's nature as a memory corruption issue also means that exploitation can lead to system instability, crashes, or denial of service conditions, making it a comprehensive threat to system integrity and availability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-27236 should focus on implementing robust input validation and type checking mechanisms within the kernel driver code. The primary fix involves adding proper validation checks to ensure that data types are correctly identified and handled during ioctl operations, preventing the type confusion that leads to memory corruption. System administrators should prioritize applying security patches from the Android Open Source Project or their respective vendors as soon as available, since this vulnerability affects kernel-level components that are critical for system security. Additional protective measures include implementing kernel memory protection features such as stack canaries, kernel address space layout randomization, and exploit prevention mechanisms. Organizations should also monitor for any unauthorized access attempts or unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular security updates and vulnerability assessments to prevent similar issues in other kernel components. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 and CWE-122 categories related to buffer overflow and memory corruption, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactic TA0004 (Privilege Escalation) and technique T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation).