CVE-2018-9364 – CVE-2018-9364 is a vulnerability in LG's LAF co... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2018-9364?

CVE-2018-9364 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). CVE-2018-9364 is a vulnerability in LG's LAF component that allows modification of protected partitions without user interaction. This could lead to secure boot bypass, potentially compromising device integrity. Affected systems include Android devices using vulnerable LG components.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2018-9364 is a vulnerability in LG's LAF component that allows modification of protected partitions without user interaction. This could lead to secure boot bypass, potentially compromising device integrity. Affected systems include Android devices using vulnerable LG components.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Android devices with LG LAF component

Versions: Android versions prior to June 2018 security patch

Operating Systems: Android

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Specifically affects LG's LAF (LG Advanced Flash) component used in bootloader/firmware operations.

📦 What is this software?

Android by Google

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete device compromise including persistent malware installation, secure boot bypass allowing unauthorized firmware modifications, and potential data exfiltration.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized partition modification leading to system instability, privilege escalation, or installation of malicious components.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if secure boot is properly implemented with hardware-backed verification and partition protections.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires physical access or local network access for exploitation, not directly exploitable over internet.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Can be exploited by malicious apps or users with physical access to compromise device security.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires access to LAF interface, typically through USB debugging or physical access. No user interaction needed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: June 2018 Android Security Patch Level or later

Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2018-06-01

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Apply June 2018 Android security patch. 2. Update device firmware through official channels. 3. Reboot device after update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable USB debugging

android

Prevents unauthorized access to LAF interface through USB

adb shell settings put global adb_enabled 0

Enable verified boot

android

Ensures boot integrity verification is active

adb shell getprop ro.boot.verifiedbootstate

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict physical access to devices
Disable USB debugging and developer options

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Android security patch level: Settings > About phone > Android security patch level. If before June 2018, vulnerable.

Check Version:

adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify security patch level is June 2018 or later and device passes verified boot checks.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unauthorized LAF command execution
Partition modification attempts
Secure boot verification failures

Network Indicators:

Unusual USB debugging connections
Unexpected ADB traffic

SIEM Query:

source="android_logs" AND ("LAF" OR "partition_mod" OR "secure_boot_fail")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2018-9364

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

CWE: CWE-203

Published: November 19, 2024

Last Updated: November 22, 2024

🔗 References

https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2018-06-01 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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