CVE-2021-1953 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 07/13/2021
Improper handling of received malformed FTMR request frame can lead to reachable assertion while responding with FTM1 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 • 07/16/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1953 represents a critical flaw in the handling of malformed Fast Traversal Measurement Request (FTMR) frames within Qualcomm's Snapdragon automotive and consumer IoT product lines. This issue manifests when the system processes an improperly formatted FTMR request frame and subsequently attempts to respond with a Fast Traversal Measurement 1 (FTM1) frame, leading to an assertion failure that can result in system instability or potential denial of service conditions. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Snapdragon product categories including automotive systems, compute platforms, connectivity solutions, consumer electronics, industrial IoT applications, mobile devices, voice and music processing systems, and wired infrastructure networking equipment.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the wireless communication protocols implemented in Qualcomm's chipsets. When a malformed FTMR frame is received, the system fails to properly validate the frame structure before attempting to process it for response generation. This improper handling leads to an assertion failure during the FTM1 frame construction process, which typically occurs when the system encounters unexpected data patterns or malformed fields within the original request. The assertion failure represents a critical software error that can cause the system to terminate unexpectedly or enter an undefined state, potentially compromising the stability and security of the affected device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple domains of Qualcomm's ecosystem, affecting automotive systems where wireless connectivity is critical for vehicle operations and safety. In automotive applications, this vulnerability could potentially disrupt wireless communication systems used for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, leading to safety concerns and system reliability issues. For consumer IoT devices, the vulnerability may result in service interruptions, device instability, or potential denial of service conditions that could affect user experience and system functionality. The widespread nature of affected products means that numerous devices across different verticals could be impacted, creating a significant security risk that requires immediate attention.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-248, which describes "Uncaught Exception" conditions where an exception is not properly handled, and may also relate to CWE-129, "Improper Validation of Array Index," if the assertion failure occurs due to improper bounds checking during frame processing. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain involving initial access through wireless protocols, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise. The vulnerability represents a medium to high severity risk that could be exploited by attackers with proximity to affected devices or those capable of injecting malformed wireless frames into the communication environment. Mitigation strategies should include firmware updates from device manufacturers, network segmentation to limit wireless communication exposure, and monitoring for anomalous wireless frame patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should prioritize patch management and implement network monitoring solutions to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability across their deployed Snapdragon-based systems.