CVE-2026-58968 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2026
In oapvd_vlc_metadata of oapv_vlc.c, there is a possible memory corruption due to a double free. This could lead to remote 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 • 11/02/2026
The vulnerability identified in the oapvd_vlc_metadata function within the oapv_vlc.c source file represents a critical memory management flaw characterized by a double free condition. This specific type of error occurs when a program attempts to deallocate a block of memory that has already been freed, leading to undefined behavior and potential system instability. In the context of network-facing services like those handled by OAPVD (Open Access Point Virtual Device), such flaws are particularly dangerous because they can be triggered remotely without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction on the target device. The absence of a need for additional execution privileges further exacerbates the severity, as it lowers the barrier to entry significantly for potential attackers seeking to compromise the system.
From a technical perspective, double free vulnerabilities often arise from improper tracking of memory allocation states or logical errors in control flow that result in multiple calls to deallocation functions such as free() on the same pointer. When this occurs, the underlying memory allocator's internal data structures become corrupted because it loses track of which blocks are currently allocated and which are available for reuse. This corruption can manifest in various ways depending on the specific implementation details of the heap manager being used by the operating system or embedded environment. In many cases, an attacker who controls the content that leads to this double free scenario may be able to manipulate these internal structures to achieve arbitrary code execution. By carefully crafting inputs that trigger the vulnerability at precise moments during memory operations, it is possible to overwrite function pointers or other critical data located in adjacent heap chunks, thereby gaining control over program flow and ultimately achieving privilege escalation on the affected device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios involving crashes or hangs. While system instability is a common immediate symptom, the primary concern lies in the potential for remote code execution with elevated privileges. Since user interaction is not required, an attacker can exploit this flaw from across a network boundary if the vulnerable service is exposed to untrusted networks. This effectively allows a malicious actor to take full control of the device running the affected software, potentially using it as a pivot point within a larger network infrastructure or extracting sensitive data stored on the system. The lack of required user interaction means that automated scanning tools and worm-like malware could propagate this exploit rapidly across vulnerable devices without any human intervention.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-415, which defines double free errors, and falls under the broader category of memory corruption vulnerabilities often associated with CWE-787 out-of-bounds write or CWE-94 improper control of generation of code when using dynamic compilation techniques if the exploitation involves injecting shellcode. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this exploit path corresponds to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation and potentially T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution depending on how the initial vector is delivered. The remote nature of the attack also relates to techniques involving exploitation of services running with elevated privileges, highlighting the critical need for robust input validation and secure memory management practices in network-facing applications.
Mitigation strategies must focus primarily on code-level fixes that ensure proper lifecycle management of allocated resources. Developers should implement strict checks to verify whether a pointer has already been freed before attempting another deallocation operation. Setting pointers to NULL immediately after freeing them is a standard defensive programming practice that prevents accidental double frees, as free(NULL) is typically defined as a no-op in most C libraries. Additionally, employing static analysis tools and dynamic memory checkers such as Valgrind or AddressSanitizer during the development and testing phases can help identify these logical errors before deployment. For organizations managing deployed systems, applying vendor-provided patches that address this specific flaw in oapv_vlc.c is essential to close the security gap. Network segmentation should also be considered to limit exposure of vulnerable services to only trusted network segments until all affected devices are patched.