CVE-2018-9423
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Android's HEVC video decoder allows an out-of-bounds read when parsing malformed video files. Attackers can cause denial of service by tricking users into opening specially crafted video content. This affects Android devices using the vulnerable HEVC decoder component.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android OS
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Device crashes or becomes unresponsive when processing malicious video content, requiring reboot.
Likely Case
App crashes when playing malicious video, potentially causing data loss in unsaved work.
If Mitigated
App sandboxing prevents privilege escalation, limiting impact to the affected app only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction to open malicious video file. No privilege escalation possible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android Security Patch Level 2018-07-01 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/pixel/2018-07-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for system updates in Settings > System > Advanced > System update. 2. Install Android Security Patch Level 2018-07-01 or later. 3. Reboot device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic media processing
androidPrevent automatic parsing of video files in untrusted apps
Use trusted video players only
androidConfigure system to use known secure video player applications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict video file processing to trusted applications only
- Implement network filtering to block suspicious video downloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android version and security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android versionCheck Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Security Patch Level shows 2018-07-01 or later in Settings > About phone📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- App crashes when processing video files
- Kernel panic logs related to media processing
Network Indicators:
- Unusual video file downloads from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
app_crash AND (process_name:media* OR process_name:video*) AND android_version:8.*