CVE-2023-40077
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2023-40077 is a critical security vulnerability discovered in Android's MetaDataBase.cpp component. The vulnerability involves a Use-After-Free (UAF) write condition due to a race condition in multiple functions. This vulnerability was disclosed in December 2023 and affects Android versions 11 through 14 (NVD, CVE).

Technical details

The vulnerability stems from a race condition in multiple functions within MetaDataBase.cpp, leading to a potential Use-After-Free write scenario. The issue involves concurrent access by different threads that can result in accessing incorrect memory locations due to potential changes in the KeyedVector. The vulnerability has received a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) from NIST and 9.8 (CRITICAL) from CISA-ADP, with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (NVD).

Impact

The vulnerability can lead to remote escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not required for exploitation, making it particularly dangerous. The vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to gain elevated access to the affected system (NVD).

Exploitability

The vulnerability requires no user interaction for exploitation and can be exploited remotely. No additional execution privileges are needed to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly concerning from a security perspective (NVD).

Mitigation and workarounds

Google has addressed this vulnerability in the December 2023 Android security updates. The fix implements a mutex to ensure secure multi-threaded access to the KeyedVector in MetaDataBase, preventing concurrent access issues that could lead to memory access violations (Android Patch).

Community reactions

The vulnerability was part of a larger December 2023 Android security update that addressed 85 vulnerabilities in total. This particular vulnerability was highlighted as one of the critical severity issues along with CVE-2023-40076 and CVE-2023-45866 (Bleeping Computer).

Additional resources


SourceThis report was generated using AI

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