CVE-2021-0881 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2021-0881, a critical vulnerability impacting Android SoC devices, allowing local privilege escalation on PowerVR kernel driver. Find out how to mitigate and prevent exploitation.
A vulnerability has been discovered in the PowerVR kernel driver on Android devices that could potentially lead to a local privilege escalation attack. This CVE impacts Android SoC devices and poses a risk of out-of-bounds heap access due to an integer overflow issue.
Understanding CVE-2021-0881
This section delves into the details of CVE-2021-0881, shedding light on the nature and implications of the vulnerability.
What is CVE-2021-0881?
The CVE-2021-0881 pertains to a missing size check in the PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickCDM component of the PowerVR kernel driver on Android devices. This oversight could result in an integer overflow, opening up the possibility of out-of-bounds heap access.
The Impact of CVE-2021-0881
The impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables a local attacker to potentially escalate their privileges without requiring any additional execution permissions. This means that an attacker could exploit the flaw without user interaction, making it a critical security issue.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-0881
This section outlines the technical aspects of CVE-2021-0881, including the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability emerges due to a missing size check in the PowerVR kernel driver, leading to an integer overflow that can trigger out-of-bounds heap access, paving the way for a local privilege escalation attack.
Affected Systems and Versions
The CVE-2021-0881 impacts Android devices utilizing the Android SoC platform. Specifically, devices running on the affected versions of Android are vulnerable to this exploit.
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to achieve local privilege escalation without the need for additional execution privileges. By leveraging the integer overflow issue, malicious actors can gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources.
Mitigation and Prevention
In this section, we discuss the steps that users and organizations can take to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2021-0881 and prevent potential exploitation.
Immediate Steps to Take
To address the CVE-2021-0881 vulnerability, users are advised to apply security updates provided by the Android platform promptly. Timely patching is crucial in preventing malicious actors from leveraging this vulnerability for privilege escalation attacks.
Long-Term Security Practices
Apart from immediate patching, adopting robust security practices such as implementing least privilege access, network segmentation, and regular security assessments can enhance overall security posture and mitigate the risks of similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Patching and Updates
Regularly monitoring security advisories from Android and promptly applying security patches and updates is essential to safeguard devices against known vulnerabilities like CVE-2021-0881.