Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Vulnerabilities

Facebook Pays $60,000 for Vulnerability in Messenger for Android

Facebook this week addressed a vulnerability in Facebook Messenger for Android that could have allowed an attacker to connect to an audio call without user interaction.

Facebook this week addressed a vulnerability in Facebook Messenger for Android that could have allowed an attacker to connect to an audio call without user interaction.

Discovered by Google Project Zero security researcher Natalie Silvanovich, the issue exists because an attacker can send a crafted message that would trick the receiver’s Messenger into automatically enabling audio, even if the call was not actually answered.

In Facebook Messenger, Silvanovich explains, audio and video are set up in WebRTC through a series of thrift messages exchanged between the caller and the receiver.

Typically, audio from the receiver is transmitted only after the user has consented to accepting the call, by clicking on the accept button (at which point setLocalDescription is called).

“However, there is a message type that is not used for call set-up, SdpUpdate, that causes setLocalDescription to be called immediately,” the security researcher explains.

If an attacker sends that message to the receiver’s device while it is ringing, the audio will start transmitting immediately, thus allowing the attacker to spy on the targeted user.

To reproduce the issue, both the attacker and the receiver need to be logged into Facebook Messenger on their devices. Furthermore, the target needs to be logged into Facebook in a browser, with the same account, which “will guarantee call set-up uses the delayed calls to setLocalDescription strategy,” the researcher explains.

Proof-of-concept code has been released as well, on the Project Zero portal. The code was tested on Facebook Messenger for Android version 284.0.0.16.119.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Silvanovich reported the vulnerability to Facebook in early October, and a patch was released on November 17.

The social media platform awarded the researcher $60,000 for her finding, which she is donating to charity. Facebook says it too will donate the same amount, to the same charity.

Related: Facebook Announces Bug Bounty Loyalty Program, Streamlined Bug Triage

Related: Facebook Announces Vulnerability Reporting and Disclosure Policy

Related: Facebook Offering Big Rewards for Vulnerabilities in Hermes, Spark AR

Related: Facebook Paid $2.2 Million in Bug Bounty Rewards in 2019

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join us as we delve into the transformative potential of AI, predictive ChatGPT-like tools and automation to detect and defend against cyberattacks.

Register

As cybersecurity breaches and incidents escalate, the cyber insurance ecosystem is undergoing rapid and transformational change.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Vulnerabilities

Less than a week after announcing that it would suspended service indefinitely due to a conflict with an (at the time) unnamed security researcher...

Data Breaches

OpenAI has confirmed a ChatGPT data breach on the same day a security firm reported seeing the use of a component affected by an...

Risk Management

The supply chain threat is directly linked to attack surface management, but the supply chain must be known and understood before it can be...

IoT Security

A group of seven security researchers have discovered numerous vulnerabilities in vehicles from 16 car makers, including bugs that allowed them to control car...

Vulnerabilities

A researcher at IOActive discovered that home security systems from SimpliSafe are plagued by a vulnerability that allows tech savvy burglars to remotely disable...

Vulnerabilities

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft warns vulnerability (CVE-2023-23397) could lead to exploitation before an email is viewed in the Preview Pane.

Cybercrime

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft calls attention to a series of zero-day remote code execution attacks hitting its Office productivity suite.

Vulnerabilities

The latest Chrome update brings patches for eight vulnerabilities, including seven reported by external researchers.