CVE-2016-10431

Vulnerability

The vulnerability exists in the TrustZone (TZ) applications of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (MDM9206, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850) on Android devices before the 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level. Due to insufficient validation of TZ applications, an attacker may exploit this flaw to compromise the secure execution environment [1].

Exploitation

An attacker with local access to the device, possibly requiring kernel privileges or root access, can trigger the vulnerability by loading a malicious TZ application that bypasses validation. The exact attack sequence is not publicly detailed, but it involves exploiting the lack of proper validation to execute arbitrary code within the TrustZone [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the TrustZone secure world, potentially gaining elevated privileges and accessing sensitive data protected by the secure environment, such as cryptographic keys and secure storage [1].

Mitigation

Google's April 2018 Android Security Bulletin includes a security patch level of 2018-04-05 that addresses this vulnerability. Users should ensure their devices have received this or a later update. Qualcomm has released patches for the affected chipsets [1].