CVE-2026-55269 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 10/05/2026
In FilterCapturedPacket of snoop_logger.cc, there is a possible memory safety issue due to improper input validation. 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 • 10/05/2026
The vulnerability identified in the FilterCapturedPacket function within snoop_logger.cc represents a critical flaw rooted in insufficient input validation, which directly compromises memory safety and system integrity. This specific component is typically responsible for processing network packet data captured by logging mechanisms, often operating with elevated privileges to ensure comprehensive monitoring capabilities. The core technical issue arises when the application fails to rigorously validate the length, structure, or content of incoming packet buffers before performing operations on them. In many such implementations, this lack of validation can lead to buffer overflows, out-of-bounds reads, or use-after-free conditions depending on how the data is manipulated in memory. Because the function processes captured packets which may originate from network interfaces that are accessible to local users or potentially influenced by maliciously crafted traffic, an attacker can supply malformed input that exceeds expected boundaries or contains unexpected structures. This improper handling allows for arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions within the context of the process running snoop_logger, thereby establishing a foothold for further exploitation.
From a privilege escalation perspective, this vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no additional execution privileges and does not necessitate user interaction to exploit. The absence of an interactive component means that automated tools can rapidly identify and leverage this weakness against vulnerable systems without any social engineering or manual intervention from the target user. If the snoop_logger process operates with higher system privileges, such as root or SYSTEM level access, successfully exploiting this memory safety issue allows a local attacker to execute code within that privileged context. This effectively results in an escalation of privilege, granting the attacker full control over the affected system. The ability to escalate privileges locally without user interaction significantly lowers the barrier for entry for attackers, making this vulnerability highly attractive for automated attacks and rapid lateral movement within compromised networks.
In terms of industry standard classifications, this flaw aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation as the root cause, which fails to ensure that input data is well-formed before processing. The resulting memory safety issues likely correspond to CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer or potentially CWE-416 Use After Free if dynamic memory management errors are involved. From an offensive security standpoint, this vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1055 Process Injection and T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation. The lack of user interaction places it firmly within automated exploitation vectors described in the Initial Access and Persistence tactics as well, although its primary impact is on privilege escalation rather than initial entry if the attacker already has local access.
Mitigation strategies must focus on rigorous input sanitization and memory-safe coding practices. Developers should implement strict bounds checking for all packet data before processing it within FilterCapturedPacket. Utilizing modern programming languages or libraries that enforce memory safety can prevent buffer overflows entirely. Additionally, applying principle of least privilege is crucial; the snoop_logger process should run with only the minimum permissions necessary to perform its logging functions, thereby limiting the impact if an exploit succeeds. Regular security audits and static analysis tools configured to detect input validation failures are essential for identifying such flaws early in the development lifecycle. Patching involves updating the affected software component to a version where these validations have been corrected, ensuring that all packet data is verified against expected formats and sizes before any memory operations occur.