CVE-2024-33035 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 09/02/2024
Memory corruption while calculating total metadata size when a very high reserved size is requested by gralloc clients.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-33035 represents a critical memory corruption issue within the graphics memory allocation system of Android devices. This flaw manifests specifically when gralloc clients request extremely high reserved memory sizes, creating a scenario where the system fails to properly calculate the total metadata size required for memory management. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and boundary checking mechanisms within the graphics buffer allocation subsystem, which is a fundamental component responsible for managing memory resources across various Android applications and system services.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs at the kernel level within the graphics memory management driver where the gralloc module processes client requests for memory allocation. When a client specifies an unusually large reserved size, the system's metadata calculation routine fails to properly handle the arithmetic operations or memory allocation boundaries, leading to buffer overflows or memory corruption patterns. This memory corruption can result in arbitrary code execution, system instability, or complete device compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at a low-level kernel interface where standard user-space protections are ineffective, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects the core graphics memory management functionality of Android devices, potentially compromising the stability and security of the entire operating system. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain elevated privileges and execute malicious code with kernel-level access, effectively bypassing standard security mechanisms. The vulnerability's exploitation requires a gralloc client to make a specifically crafted high-reserved-size request, which could be initiated through malicious applications or system-level processes. The impact extends beyond individual application crashes to potentially affecting device boot processes, display functionality, and overall system reliability, making it a critical concern for device manufacturers and security administrators.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-33035 should focus on implementing robust input validation and boundary checking within the gralloc subsystem. Device manufacturers must ensure proper bounds checking for reserved memory size parameters and implement comprehensive error handling for edge cases in metadata calculation routines. The fix should include adding explicit validation for reserved memory size values to prevent excessively large requests from being processed, along with proper memory allocation safeguards that prevent buffer overflows. Additionally, implementing proper memory sanitization techniques and stack canaries can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Security updates should be prioritized for all affected Android versions, and system administrators should monitor for any unusual memory allocation patterns or application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 Input Validation and Output Encoding, and potentially CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write, while mapping to ATT&CK technique T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation through kernel-level vulnerabilities.