CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-32502NVD status: Analyzed

mobile_processor_wearable_processor: Use After Free

CVE-2024-32502 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in mobile_processor_wearable_processor from Samsung, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected mobile_processor_wearable_processor versions: exynos_850; exynos_1080; exynos_2100, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.17% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of mobile_processor_wearable_processor you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on semiconductor.samsung.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Samsungmobile_processor_wearable_processorexynos_850; exynos_1080; exynos_2100; exynos_1280; exynos_1380; exynos_1330; exynos_w920; exynos_w930Not stated
SamsungExynos 1080 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos 1280 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos 1330 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos 1380 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos 2100 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos 850 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos W920 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
SamsungExynos W930 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (mitre.org).

Official description

An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor Exynos 850, Exynos 1080, Exynos 2100, Exynos 1280, Exynos 1380, Exynos 1330, Exynos W920, Exynos W930. The mobile processor lacks proper reference count checking, which can result in a UAF (Use-After-Free) vulnerability.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in mobile_processor_wearable_processor

All mobile_processor_wearable_processor vulnerabilities

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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