CVE-2020-0198
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an integer overflow vulnerability in Android's EXIF data parsing library that can cause undefined behavior sanitizer (UBSAN) to abort the process. Attackers can trigger remote denial of service by tricking users into opening malicious media files. Only Android 10 devices are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Libexif by Libexif Project
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
Ubuntu Linux by Canonical
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote denial of service causing device instability or application crashes when processing malicious media files.
Likely Case
Application crashes when viewing images with specially crafted EXIF metadata, requiring user interaction.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if users avoid opening untrusted media files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious media file). No public exploit code identified in references.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android Security Patch Level 2020-06-01 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2020-06-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > Advanced > System update. 2. Install Android Security Patch Level 2020-06-01 or later. 3. Reboot device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic media processing
androidPrevent automatic parsing of EXIF data in vulnerable applications
Use alternative media viewers
androidUse third-party applications that don't use the vulnerable EXIF library
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user ability to open media files from untrusted sources
- Implement application sandboxing to limit impact of crashes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android version in Settings > About phone > Android version. If it shows Android 10, check Security patch level.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release && adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Security patch level is 2020-06-01 or later in Settings > About phone > Android security patch level.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing media files
- UBSAN abort messages in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual media file downloads from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND ("UBSAN" OR "exif" OR "abort") AND process="media"🔗 References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/06/msg00020.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ELDZR6USD5PR34MRK2ZISLCYJ465FNKN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SVBD5JRUQPN4LQHTAAJHA3MR5M7YTAC7/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-19
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2020-06-01
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4396-1/
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/06/msg00020.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ELDZR6USD5PR34MRK2ZISLCYJ465FNKN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SVBD5JRUQPN4LQHTAAJHA3MR5M7YTAC7/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-19
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2020-06-01
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4396-1/
