CVE-2018-5853

Vulnerability

A race condition exists in a driver used in all Android releases from Code Aurora Forum (CAF) employing the Linux kernel, specifically for Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android, before the 2018-05-05 security patch level. This condition can result in a use-after-free situation, potentially allowing memory corruption. The affected driver is part of the kernel used on Qualcomm-based platforms [1].

Exploitation

An attacker would need to trigger a race window between parallel operations on the vulnerable driver. The exact prerequisites are not detailed in the available references, but typical exploitation of such a race condition on Android requires local access and the ability to execute code that can interact with the driver's interface. No user interaction is required beyond normal usage of a malicious application that can reach the affected code path [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation could lead to a use-after-free condition, which may result in privilege escalation or denial of service. Given the driver's location in the kernel, compromise could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the kernel context, leading to complete device takeover [1].

Mitigation

Google addressed this issue in the May 2018 security bulletin, with the fix included in the 2018-05-05 security patch level. Supported Google Pixel and Nexus devices received the update automatically. Users are advised to ensure their device's security patch level is at least 2018-05-05 to be protected [1].