CVE-2020-11235 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2021
Buffer overflow might occur while parsing unified command due to lack of check of input data received in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow condition affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon product lines including automotive, connectivity, mobile, and industrial IoT devices. The flaw manifests during the parsing of unified commands where insufficient input validation allows malicious data to overflow allocated memory buffers. Such buffer overflows typically occur when applications fail to properly validate the length of input data before copying it into fixed-size buffers, creating opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory regions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking mechanisms within the command parsing routines of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets. When unified commands are received through various communication interfaces, the system does not adequately verify the size of incoming data against predetermined buffer limits. This allows attackers to craft specially formatted input sequences that exceed buffer capacity, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The vulnerability affects a broad spectrum of devices including automotive systems, industrial infrastructure, consumer electronics, and mobile platforms, making it particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents significant risks across multiple attack vectors and threat scenarios. The widespread deployment of affected Snapdragon chipsets across automotive systems, industrial IoT deployments, and mobile devices creates extensive attack surface exposure. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to vehicle control systems, industrial control networks, or consumer devices, potentially leading to system compromise, data exfiltration, or physical safety risks. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects both mobile and fixed infrastructure devices, creating cross-domain attack opportunities.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on firmware updates and input validation improvements. Device manufacturers must implement comprehensive input length checks and bounds validation for all unified command parsing operations. Security patches should include proper buffer size verification, stack canary implementations, and memory protection mechanisms. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous command sequences that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a potential entry point for ATT&CK techniques involving code injection and privilege escalation. The affected product lines demonstrate how single vulnerabilities can impact multiple domains, highlighting the importance of comprehensive security testing across all system components and the need for robust input validation across all communication interfaces.