CVE-2019-9232
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-9232 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in libvpx (VP8/VP9 video codec library) that allows remote attackers to read memory beyond allocated buffers without authentication or user interaction. This could lead to information disclosure of sensitive data from the affected system. Primarily affects Android 10 devices and any systems using vulnerable versions of libvpx.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
- libvpx library
- Applications using libvpx
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Leap by Opensuse
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote attacker could read sensitive memory contents including passwords, encryption keys, or other application data, potentially leading to complete system compromise through information disclosure.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of random memory contents, potentially exposing application data or system information that could be used in further attacks.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and updated systems; isolated systems would prevent remote exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted video files to trigger the out-of-bounds read.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android security patch level 2019-10-05 and later; libvpx updates from October 2019
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2019-10-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Android devices to October 2019 security patch or later. 2. Update libvpx packages on Linux systems to patched versions. 3. Reboot affected systems after patching.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network filtering for video files
allBlock or filter VP8/VP9 video files at network boundaries to prevent exploitation
Disable vulnerable video processing
allTemporarily disable VP8/VP9 video processing in applications if possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment affected systems from untrusted networks
- Implement strict input validation for video files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level (Settings > About phone > Android security patch level) - if before October 2019, likely vulnerable. For Linux: check libvpx package version.Check Version:
Android: Settings > About phone; Linux: dpkg -l | grep libvpx or rpm -qa | grep libvpxVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android security patch level is October 2019 or later. For Linux: verify libvpx package is updated to version containing October 2019 fixes.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing video files
- Memory access violation errors in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual video file transfers to systems
- Multiple failed video processing attempts
SIEM Query:
source="*android*" OR source="*libvpx*" AND (error="segmentation fault" OR error="memory violation")🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00049.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/25/17
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/27/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/11/07/1
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/11/msg00030.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DQSTK442ATWJOR4TU3MR6C3N5A6NDFFN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U2IIA3RSYABBUCFIHXIRVUT5CTJVWWZ6/
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Nov/43
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-59
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/android-10
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4199-1/
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4199-2/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4578
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-01/msg00049.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/25/17
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/27/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/11/07/1
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/11/msg00030.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DQSTK442ATWJOR4TU3MR6C3N5A6NDFFN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U2IIA3RSYABBUCFIHXIRVUT5CTJVWWZ6/
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Nov/43
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-59
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/android-10
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4199-1/
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4199-2/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4578
