One of the vulnerabilities Google addressed in Android with the December 2019 set of monthly patches is a critical vulnerability that could result in a permanent denial of service.
Patches for more than 40 vulnerabilities were included in this month’s Android security updates, including 17 as part of the 2019-12-01 security patch level, and 27 more in the 2019-12-05 security patch level.
Of the seventeen flaws fixed as part of the 2019-12-01 security patch level, six impact Framework, two were found in the Media framework, and seven affect System. Additionally, there were two issues in Google Play system updates.
The most important of the vulnerabilities is CVE-2019-2232, a critical denial of service (DoS) bug that affects the Framework component in Android 8.0, 8.1, 9, and 10. The vulnerability can be exploited by a remote attacker to cause a permanent DoS condition by sending a specially crafted message, Google explains.
Other flaws patched in Framework are three high-severity elevation of privilege, one high-risk information disclosure, and one medium-severity elevation of privilege issues.
Both of the bugs in the Media framework could lead to remote code execution. They are rated moderate severity in Android 10, but are considered critical flaws in Android 8.0, 8.1, and 9.
All of the vulnerabilities patched in System are high severity. They include a remote code execution, an elevation of privilege, and five information disclosure weaknesses.
The 2019-12-05 security patch level includes fixes for one high-severity information disclosure bug in Framework and another in System, along with three high-risk elevation of privilege issues in Kernel components, and twelve high-severity vulnerabilities in Qualcomm components.
Moreover, it also brings patches for a total of ten flaws in Qualcomm closed-source components, three of which are considered critical, and seven rated high risk.
“Devices that use the security patch level of 2019-12-05 or newer must include all applicable patches in this (and previous) security bulletins,” Google explains.
In addition to the vulnerabilities addressed with the December 2019 Android Security Bulletin, Google patched a series of security bugs on Pixel devices only.
A total of 8 flaws were resolved with the December 2019 Pixel Update Bulletin, including a critical information disclosure and a high-severity elevation of privilege in the Android 10 system component, and four moderate elevation of privilege and two moderate information disclosure flaws in Kernel components.
“For Google devices, security patch levels of 2019-12-05 or later address all issues in this bulletin and all issues in the December 2019 Android Security Bulletin,” Google notes.
Related: Google Patches Critical Flaws in Android’s System Component
Related: Google Patches Remote Code Execution Bugs in Android 10
Related: Android’s September 2019 Patches Fix Nearly 50 Vulnerabilities