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Adups FotaApplication · Adups

CVE-2016-10139

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 R1 HD devices with Shanghai Adups software. The two package names involved in the exfiltration are com.adups.fota and com.adups.fota.sysoper. 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. Therefore, the app executing as the system user has been granted a number of powerful permissions even though they are not present in the com.adups.fota.sysoper app's AndroidManifest.xml file. This app provides the com.adups.fota app access to the user's call log, text messages, and various device identifiers through the com.adups.fota.sysoper.provider.InfoProvider component. The com.adups.fota app uses timestamps when it runs and is eligible to exfiltrate the user's PII every 72 hours. If 72 hours have passed since the value of the timestamp, then the exfiltration will be triggered by the user plugging in the device to charge or when they leave or enter a wireless network. The exfiltration occurs in the background without any user interaction.

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

A pre-installed system app (com.adups.fota.sysoper) on BLU R1 HD devices exploits android:sharedUserId="android.uid.system" to run with elevated system privileges, providing its companion app (com.adups.fota) unauthorized access to sensitive user data including call logs, text messages, and device identifiers via the InfoProvider component. The exfiltration triggers every 72 hours when the device is charged or connects to WiFi, transmitting PII in the background without user knowledge.

MitigationRemove or disable the com.adups.fota and com.adups.fota.sysoper applications via device administrator settings or MDM; if removal is not possible due to system-level installation, factory reset or reflash with patched firmware from the device manufacturer.

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 companion app com.adups.fota is installed
    Use a package manager to list installed packages and search for 'com.adups.fota' (e.g., 'pm list packages | grep adups.fota' or check via device management console)
    Affected if The package com.adups.fota exists on the device
  2. Check if the system app com.adups.fota.sysoper is installed
    Use a package manager to list installed packages and search for 'com.adups.fota.sysoper' (e.g., 'pm list packages | grep adups.fota.sysoper')
    Affected if The package com.adups.fota.sysoper exists on the device
  3. Verify if either app holds system-level privileges
    Inspect the AndroidManifest.xml of both apps for android:sharedUserId="android.uid.system" or check the app's assigned UID via 'dumpsys package <package_name>'
    Affected if Either app is configured with sharedUserId="android.uid.system" granting elevated system privileges
  4. Confirm the InfoProvider component is present and exported
    Query the component info using 'dumpsys package com.adups.fota' or inspect the manifest for the InfoProvider content provider with android:exported="true"
    Affected if The InfoProvider content provider is defined and accessible to other apps
  5. Check for suspicious periodic network behavior during charging or WiFi connection
    Monitor network traffic or review firewall logs when device is charging or connects to WiFi; look for outbound connections to unknown destinations occurring on a 72-hour recurring schedule
    Affected if Outbound PII transmission is observed periodically when device is charging or on WiFi without user-initiated action

If both com.adups.fota and com.adups.fota.sysoper are installed with system-level privileges and the InfoProvider is exposed, the device is affected by this vulnerability and user data is being exfiltrated.

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

Remove or disable the com.adups.fota and com.adups.fota.sysoper applications via device administrator settings or MDM; if removal is not possible due to system-level installation, factory reset or reflash with patched firmware from the device manufacturer.

Fix this in Adups Fota Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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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-2016-10139 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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