CVE-2019-14082 in Snapdragon Compute
Summary
by MITRE
Potential buffer over-read due to lack of bound check of memory offset passed in WLAN firmware in Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in IPQ8074, MDM9206, MDM9207C, MDM9607, QCN7605, SM8150
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer over-read flaw in the WLAN firmware processing component of multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, including the IPQ8074, MDM9206, MDM9207C, MDM9607, QCN7605, and SM8150 platforms. The issue stems from insufficient bounds checking when processing memory offsets within the wireless firmware, creating a scenario where an attacker could potentially manipulate firmware data structures to trigger unauthorized memory access patterns. This vulnerability exists across a wide range of Qualcomm's product portfolio spanning mobile, industrial, and consumer connectivity applications, making it particularly concerning for embedded systems and IoT devices that rely on these chipsets for wireless communication capabilities.
The technical implementation of this flaw allows for a memory access violation where the firmware fails to validate the boundaries of memory offsets before reading from or writing to allocated memory regions. This condition creates an over-read scenario where the system attempts to access memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive data or causing system instability. The vulnerability is classified as a buffer over-read under CWE-125, which specifically addresses the condition where an application reads data past the end of a valid buffer, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage in exploitation scenarios. The flaw manifests in the firmware processing layer where wireless network packets are handled, particularly when processing malformed or specially crafted wireless frames that contain invalid offset values.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple security domains including mobile device security, industrial IoT connectivity, and consumer electronics infrastructure. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness to extract sensitive information from memory regions, including cryptographic keys, authentication credentials, or other confidential data stored in the device's memory. The vulnerability affects devices running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms that utilize wireless networking capabilities, which encompasses smartphones, tablets, IoT sensors, industrial communication modules, and networking equipment. The exploitation could result in information disclosure, system instability, or potentially enable further attack vectors such as privilege escalation or denial of service conditions that could compromise the overall security posture of affected devices and networks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on firmware updates provided by device manufacturers and Qualcomm itself, as the fix requires modifications to the WLAN firmware processing logic to implement proper bounds checking. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected devices to the latest firmware versions that contain the patched memory validation routines. Network administrators should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts and consider implementing network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if a device is compromised. Additionally, security teams should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify all devices running affected Snapdragon chipsets and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. The remediation efforts should also include monitoring for any unauthorized firmware modifications that might bypass the security controls, as this vulnerability could potentially be exploited through malicious firmware updates or downgrade attacks.