CVE-2024-53922 in Exynos
Summary
by MITRE • 09/14/2026
An issue was discovered in the buffer queue driver in Samsung Automotive Processor Exynos Auto 8890, V7, V9, and V920. Lack of a length check leads to a Denial of Service in the kernel.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2026
The vulnerability identified within the Samsung Automotive Processor series, specifically affecting the Exynos Auto 8890 as well as variants V7, V9, and V920, stems from a critical implementation flaw in the buffer queue driver subsystem. This component is responsible for managing data buffers that facilitate communication between different hardware modules and software layers within the automotive system-on-chip architecture. The core technical deficiency lies in the absence of rigorous length validation when processing incoming requests or data structures submitted to the kernel space via this driver interface. In a properly secured implementation, any buffer size parameter received from user-space applications must be strictly validated against predefined maximum limits allocated by the kernel before memory is reserved or operations are executed. The failure to perform these checks means that malicious actors can supply arbitrarily large length values during interaction with the vulnerable driver entry points.
This lack of boundary checking directly enables a Denial of Service condition within the operating system kernel. When an oversized buffer request is processed without validation, it can lead to excessive memory allocation attempts or out-of-bounds access scenarios depending on how the underlying hardware handles the malformed input. In many embedded automotive environments, such errors do not necessarily result in immediate privilege escalation but rather cause critical stability issues. The kernel may encounter a panic state due to resource exhaustion or invalid memory references, leading to an automatic system reboot or freeze. For automotive systems where continuous availability is paramount for safety-critical functions like braking control, engine management, and infotainment connectivity, such instability poses a severe operational risk. A localized denial of service can disrupt the entire vehicle's electronic architecture if the affected component is central to multiple subsystems.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, as the system fails to verify that input data conforms to expected constraints before processing it. Furthermore, in the context of attack vectors and tactics, this flaw facilitates exploitation consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service, where an adversary aims to degrade or eliminate the availability of computational resources. The vulnerability likely resides in a privileged execution context given that buffer queue drivers typically operate at kernel level, which increases the severity of potential impacts even if direct code execution is not immediately achievable through this specific flaw alone. Attackers with local access could exploit this condition to crash the system repeatedly, effectively rendering the vehicle's electronic control units non-functional until power cycled.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve patching the affected Samsung Automotive Processor firmware and kernel drivers to enforce strict length checks on all buffer queue operations. Developers must ensure that any size parameter passed from user space is validated against a hard-coded maximum limit derived from system memory constraints before allocation occurs. Additionally, implementing robust error handling mechanisms can help contain failures without causing full system crashes. For automotive manufacturers deploying these chips, it is essential to apply the latest security patches provided by Samsung Electronics and conduct thorough regression testing to verify that buffer management routines now correctly reject oversized inputs. Security teams should also monitor for anomalous behavior in kernel logs indicative of repeated allocation failures or driver timeouts which may signal attempted exploitation of this flaw.