CVE-2021-1925 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2021
Possible denial of service scenario due to improper handling of group management action frame in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical denial of service condition affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon product lines including automotive, mobile, and IoT devices. The flaw manifests in the improper handling of group management action frames within the wireless networking stack, specifically within the Wi-Fi subsystem that governs group membership and management operations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and processing of malformed or unexpected group management action frames that are transmitted over wireless networks, creating potential for system instability and complete service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs at the wireless protocol layer where group management action frames are processed without adequate input sanitization or boundary checking. These frames are typically used in wireless local area networks to manage group membership for multicast traffic distribution, but when malformed or oversized frames are received, the processing logic fails to properly handle the edge cases, leading to potential buffer overflows, memory corruption, or infinite loop conditions. The vulnerability affects the wireless networking stack across various Snapdragon product categories including automotive systems, mobile devices, and industrial IoT deployments where wireless connectivity is critical for operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple deployment scenarios including automotive infotainment systems, mobile devices, industrial networking equipment, and consumer electronics. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause complete system crashes or restarts, effectively denying service to legitimate users and potentially compromising safety-critical systems in automotive applications. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these devices are often deployed in environments where continuous operation is essential, and denial of service can result in significant operational disruption or safety hazards. The vulnerability affects a broad range of products spanning automotive, mobile, and industrial markets, amplifying its potential impact across multiple industry sectors.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and boundary checking for all group management action frames received by the wireless networking stack. System administrators should deploy firmware updates from Qualcomm that address the specific handling of malformed frames and implement network monitoring to detect unusual group management frame patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write categories, while the exploitation patterns correspond to ATT&CK techniques related to denial of service and system compromise. Organizations should prioritize patch management across all affected Snapdragon-based devices and consider network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. Given the widespread deployment of these chipsets, coordinated remediation efforts across automotive, mobile, and IoT ecosystems are essential to prevent widespread service disruption.