Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In this talk, we will share our research in which we successfully exploit Qualcomm WLAN in FIRMWARE layer, break down the isolation between WLAN and Modem and then fully control the Modem over the air.
Setup the real-time debugger is the key. Without the debugger, it's difficult to inspect the program flow and runtime status. On Qualcomm platform, subsystems are protected by the Secure Boot and unable to be touched externally. We'll introduce the vulnerability we found in Modem to defeat the Secure Boot and elevate privilege into Modem locally so that we can setup the live debugger for baseband.
The Modem and WLAN firmware is quite complex and reverse engineering is a tough work. Thanks to the debugger, we finally figure out the system architecture, the components, the program flow, the data flow, and the attack surfaces of WLAN firmware. We'll share these techniques in detail, along with the zero-days we found on the attack surfaces.
There are multiple mitigations on Qualcomm baseband, including DEP, stack protection, heap cookie, system call constraint, etc. All the details of the exploitation and mitigation bypassing techniques will be given during the presentation.
Starting from Snapdragon 835, WLAN firmware is integrated into the Modem subsystem as an isolated userspace process. We'll discuss these constraints, and then leverage the weakness we found to fully exploit into Modem.
In this talk, we will share our research in which we successfully exploit Qualcomm WLAN in FIRMWARE layer, break down the isolation between WLAN and Modem and then fully control the Modem over the air.
Setup the real-time debugger is the key. Without the debugger, it's difficult to inspect the program flow and runtime status. On Qualcomm platform, subsystems are protected by the Secure Boot and unable to be touched externally. We'll introduce the vulnerability we found in Modem to defeat the Secure Boot and elevate privilege into Modem locally so that we can setup the live debugger for baseband.
The Modem and WLAN firmware is quite complex and reverse engineering is a tough work. Thanks to the debugger, we finally figure out the system architecture, the components, the program flow, the data flow, and the attack surfaces of WLAN firmware. We'll share these techniques in detail, along with the zero-days we found on the attack surfaces.
There are multiple mitigations on Qualcomm baseband, including DEP, stack protection, heap cookie, system call constraint, etc. All the details of the exploitation and mitigation bypassing techniques will be given during the presentation.
Starting from Snapdragon 835, WLAN firmware is integrated into the Modem subsystem as an isolated userspace process. We'll discuss these constraints, and then leverage the weakness we found to fully exploit into Modem.
![Black Hat USA 2018 - Mainframe [z/OS] Reverse Engineering and Exploit Development](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/opBLBYAR8tU/mqdefault.jpg "Black Hat USA 2018 - Mainframe [z/OS] Reverse Engineering and Exploit Development
Speak with any Fortune 500 running mainframe and theyll tell you two things: (1) without their mainframes theyd be out of business (2) they do not conduct any security research on them, let alone vulnerability scans. The most infuriating part is that mainframes are simply computers, theyre different from what youre used to, but that doesnt mean they cant be hacked. Previous talks about this topic have covered the platform from a high level, imploring you to do the basics. This talk continues this series of talks, given by others, around mainframe hacking. Previously covered topics included network penetration testing and privilege escalation. To complement those talks, this talk will expose attendees to the various tools that exist on the platform to help you do your own reverse engineering, followed by detailed steps on how to start your own exploit development. Attendees will learn what debuggers are available on the platform, such as dbx and ASMIDF, as well as the challenges youll have using them. After learning how to RE, attendees will then learn how to develop their own exploits and buffer overflows on the platform using C, assembler and JCL. A demo program will be used to teach all these items so people can follow along. Topics included in this discussion are APF authorization, bypassing RACF/ACEE, TSO, Unix System Services.")
