CVE-2018-9555 : What You Need to Know

Android Bluetooth Interface Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Understanding CVE-2018-9555

A vulnerability in Android's Bluetooth interface could allow unauthorized privilege escalation without additional execution privileges.

What is CVE-2018-9555?

The vulnerability exists in the code handling Protocol Data Units (PDU) in the l2c_fcr.cc file, specifically in the l2c_lcc_proc_pdu function. It allows an attacker to escalate privileges over the Bluetooth interface without requiring additional execution privileges.

The Impact of CVE-2018-9555

Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized escalation of privilege over the Bluetooth interface, posing a risk to the security and integrity of affected Android devices.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-9555

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from a missing check to ensure data being written does not exceed its allowed limits, potentially leading to an out-of-bounds write.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Android
Versions Affected: Android 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1, 9

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to achieve remote escalation of privilege over Bluetooth without the need for additional execution privileges.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by Google for the affected Android versions.
Monitor official security bulletins and updates from Google for any remediation steps.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update Android devices to the latest software versions to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Google has released security patches addressing this vulnerability in the affected Android versions.