CVE-2020-11276 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 02/22/2021
Possible buffer over read while processing P2P IE and NOA attribute of beacon and probe response frames due to improper validation of P2P IE and NOA attribute lengths 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 • 03/04/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overread condition that occurs during the processing of peer-to-peer information elements and Notice of Absence attributes within wireless beacon and probe response frames. The flaw exists in the wireless networking stack of various Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, affecting automotive, industrial, consumer electronics, and networking devices. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of length fields within the P2P IE and NOA attribute structures, allowing maliciously crafted wireless frames to trigger memory access violations that could lead to system instability or potential code execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of variable-length fields within wireless protocol frames. When a device processes beacon or probe response frames containing P2P IE or NOA attributes, the parsing logic fails to properly validate the length parameters before attempting to read data from memory locations. This creates a scenario where an attacker can craft frames with malformed length fields that cause the wireless driver to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The issue manifests as a buffer overread condition that can result in information disclosure, denial of service, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific implementation and memory layout.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability impacts a wide range of devices that utilize Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets across multiple market segments including automotive infotainment systems, industrial IoT deployments, consumer electronics, and networking infrastructure. The attack vector requires the presence of an adversary within wireless range who can inject malicious frames into the network, making this particularly concerning for connected vehicles, smart buildings, and IoT ecosystems where physical proximity attacks are feasible. The vulnerability affects devices that process wireless beacons and probe responses, which are fundamental components of wireless network discovery and connection establishment processes.
The security implications extend beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as buffer overread conditions can potentially lead to information leakage that might reveal sensitive memory contents or enable further exploitation techniques. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of length parameters, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and control through wireless protocols. The affected Snapdragon product categories include automotive systems, consumer electronics connectivity modules, industrial IoT deployments, and networking infrastructure, making this a widespread concern across multiple industry sectors. Organizations should prioritize patching affected devices and implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous wireless frame patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should focus on firmware updates from device manufacturers, network segmentation to limit wireless attack surfaces, and monitoring for unusual beacon or probe response traffic patterns. The vulnerability requires careful validation of all received wireless frame attributes, particularly those with variable-length fields, to prevent memory access violations. Device manufacturers should implement robust input validation mechanisms that enforce strict bounds checking on all received P2P IE and NOA attribute data to prevent exploitation of this class of buffer overread vulnerabilities.