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Adups FotaApplication · Adups

CVE-2016-10138

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-01-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An issue was discovered on BLU Advance 5.0 and BLU R1 HD devices with Shanghai Adups software. The com.adups.fota.sysoper app is installed as a system app and cannot be disabled by the user. In the com.adups.fota.sysoper app's AndroidManifest.xml file, it sets the android:sharedUserId attribute to a value of android.uid.system which makes it execute as the system user, which is a very privileged user on the device. The app has an exported broadcast receiver named com.adups.fota.sysoper.WriteCommandReceiver which any app on the device can interact with. Therefore, any app can send a command embedded in an intent which will be executed by the WriteCommandReceiver component which is executing as the system user. The third-party app, utilizing the WriteCommandReceiver, can perform the following actions: call a phone number, factory reset the device, take pictures of the screen, record the screen in a video, install applications, inject events, obtain the Android log, and others. In addition, the com.adups.fota.sysoper.TaskService component will make a request to a URL of http://rebootv5.adsunflower.com/ps/fetch.do where the commands in the String array with a key of sf in the JSON Object sent back by the server will be executed as the system user. Since the connection is made via HTTP, it is vulnerable to a MITM attack.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Pre-installed com.adups.fota.sysoper app on BLU devices runs with system-level privileges (android:sharedUserId=android.uid.system) and exports a broadcast receiver (WriteCommandReceiver) that accepts commands from any app, allowing privilege escalation to perform factory resets, phone calls, screen recording, app installation, and event injection. Additionally, the app fetches and executes remote commands over unauthenticated HTTP, enabling MITM attacks.

MitigationUsers should await and apply OEM firmware updates from BLU; until then, avoid untrusted networks to mitigate the MITM vector, and consider device replacement if no update is forthcoming.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Adups FotaApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if the vulnerable Adups app is installed
    Use Android package manager: `pm list packages | grep adups.fota.sysoper` or check app settings for package com.adups.fota.sysoper
    Affected if The package com.adups.fota.sysoper exists on the device
  2. Verify the app has system-level privileges
    Check the app's manifest or use `dumpsys package com.adups.fota.sysoper` to inspect android:sharedUserId and UID assignment
    Affected if The app runs with android.uid.system or sharedUserId="android.uid.system"
  3. Confirm WriteCommandReceiver is exported
    Inspect the app manifest for the broadcast receiver with name WriteCommandReceiver and verify android:exported="true"
    Affected if The receiver accepts commands from any app (exported without permission restrictions)
  4. Identify if device is a BLU phone
    Check device model via Settings > About Phone or `getprop ro.product.model`
    Affected if The device is a BLU product and contains the vulnerable pre-installed app

A user is affected if their BLU device has the com.adups.fota.sysoper app installed with system privileges and an exported broadcast receiver, enabling privilege escalation from any app.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Users should await and apply OEM firmware updates from BLU; until then, avoid untrusted networks to mitigate the MITM vector, and consider device replacement if no update is forthcoming.

Fix this in Adups Fota Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-10138 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What belongs here
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