CVE-2017-0464

Vulnerability

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver on Android. The bug allows a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the kernel context. The vulnerability is present in Android kernels 3.10 and 3.18, and is identified as Android ID A-32940193 and Qualcomm QC-CR#1102593 [1]. Exploitation requires first compromising a privileged process, such as a system service, to gain the necessary permissions to trigger the driver flaw.

Exploitation

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first compromise a privileged process on the device, for example through another vulnerability or social engineering. Once the attacker has elevated privileges within the Android framework, they can then trigger the bug in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver to execute arbitrary code in the kernel. The attack is local and requires the malicious application to be installed and run on the device [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution in the kernel context, giving the attacker full control over the device's kernel. This leads to a complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as the attacker can read sensitive data, modify system files, and disrupt device operations [1].

Mitigation

The fix for this vulnerability was included in the Android Security Bulletin for March 2017. Users should apply the OTA update or ensure their device has the security patch level of 2017-03-01 or later. No workaround is available, and the fix is provided by Qualcomm as part of their driver update [1].