CVE-2023-26085
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-26085 is an out-of-bounds read/write vulnerability in Arm NN Android-NN-Driver due to improper shared memory length validation. This allows attackers to potentially read sensitive data or execute arbitrary code in the context of the neural network driver. Affected systems include Android devices using Arm NN Android-NN-Driver versions before 23.02.
💻 Affected Systems
- Arm NN Android-NN-Driver
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution in kernel or driver context, potentially leading to complete device takeover and data exfiltration.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to gain elevated permissions, access sensitive neural network data, or cause system instability.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms in place, potentially reduced to denial of service.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of memory layout. No public exploits have been reported.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 23.02
Vendor Advisory: https://developer.arm.com/Arm%20Security%20Center
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to Arm NN Android-NN-Driver version 23.02 or later. 2. Apply Android security updates from device manufacturer. 3. Reboot device after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable neural network acceleration
androidTemporarily disable Arm NN driver functionality to prevent exploitation
adb shell setprop debug.nn.vlog 0
adb shell stop nndriver
adb shell rmmod arm_nn_driver
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict app sandboxing and permission controls to limit access to neural network APIs
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious memory access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android device for Arm NN driver version using: adb shell dumpsys package | grep -i arm.nnCheck Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version is 23.02 or later using: adb shell getprop | grep nn.driver.version📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual memory access patterns in kernel logs
- SIGSEGV or SIGBUS signals from neural network processes
- Unexpected driver crashes or restarts
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="android_kernel" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "out of bounds" OR "arm_nn")