CVE-2024-44068: Samsung Exynos Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2024-44068 Overview

An issue was discovered in the m2m scaler driver in Samsung Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor Exynos 9820, 9825, 980, 990, 850,and W920. A Use-After-Free in the mobile processor leads to privilege escalation.

Critical Impact
This vulnerability can lead to privilege escalation, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated permissions.

Affected Products

Samsung Exynos 9820 Firmware
Samsung Exynos 9825 Firmware
Samsung Exynos 980 Firmware

Discovery Timeline

Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
Not Available - Responsible disclosure to Samsung
Not Available - CVE CVE-2024-44068 assigned
Not Available - Samsung releases security patch
2024-10-07 - CVE CVE-2024-44068 published to NVD
2025-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-44068

Vulnerability Analysis

This Use-After-Free vulnerability in the m2m scaler driver results in improper handling of memory during certain operations, which can be exploited for privilege escalation.

Root Cause

The root cause is inadequate management of memory allocation and deallocation, leading to the reuse of freed memory.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over a network by sending crafted packets to the target device.

// Example exploitation code (sanitized)
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>

void exploit() {
    char *ptr = malloc(64);
    free(ptr);
    // UAF vulnerability exploited here
    strcpy(ptr, "exploit code");
}

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-44068

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual network traffic
Unexpected process creation
Memory allocation failures

Detection Strategies

Implement runtime memory analysis tools to detect Use-After-Free conditions and monitor for abnormal process behavior and memory usage patterns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Use SentinelOne to provide real-time monitoring and threat detection, offering advanced Machine Learning to identify unusual memory operations susceptible to exploitation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-44068

Immediate Actions Required

Update all affected firmware versions
Implement runtime protections
Monitor network traffic and system behavior

Patch Information

Samsung has released patches for all affected processors which can be found at their security update page.

Workarounds

If patching is not immediately viable, restrict network access to vulnerable devices and implement firewall rules to mitigate exposure.

bash

# Configuration example
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW,ESTABLISHED -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --sport 80 -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED -j ACCEPT