CVE-2022-25662 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 10/19/2022
Information disclosure due to untrusted pointer dereference in kernel in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw originating from an untrusted pointer dereference within the kernel components of multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon product lines. The issue manifests when the kernel fails to properly validate pointer inputs during critical operations, potentially allowing malicious actors to access sensitive kernel memory regions. The vulnerability affects a broad spectrum of devices including automotive systems, mobile platforms, compute modules, connectivity solutions, and wearable devices, indicating a widespread impact across Qualcomm's embedded ecosystem. The root cause aligns with common software security weaknesses where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption scenarios that can be exploited to extract confidential information from system memory.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves kernel-level memory management functions that process unvalidated pointer references without proper bounds checking or sanitization. When malicious input reaches these kernel functions, the system attempts to dereference pointers that may point to arbitrary memory locations, potentially exposing kernel data structures, sensitive variables, or other confidential information. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, though in kernel contexts it typically results in information disclosure rather than system crashes. The exploitation requires careful crafting of input data to manipulate pointer values in ways that cause the kernel to access unintended memory regions, which can reveal kernel code addresses, stack contents, or other sensitive data that could aid in further exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple device categories and presents significant risks to system confidentiality and integrity. Automotive systems utilizing Snapdragon Auto platforms could potentially expose sensitive vehicle data, while mobile and wearable devices might leak user information or device-specific identifiers. The connectivity modules could reveal network configuration details or authentication credentials, and industrial IoT devices might expose proprietary system information or operational parameters. The widespread nature of affected product lines suggests that this vulnerability could impact hundreds of millions of devices globally, creating substantial risk for organizations relying on Qualcomm's embedded solutions. Security researchers have noted that such kernel-level information disclosure vulnerabilities often serve as precursors to more severe exploits, as the leaked information can be used to bypass security mechanisms or craft targeted attacks against specific device configurations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying available security patches from Qualcomm and monitoring for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of kernel memory safety practices and proper input validation at all levels of system software. System administrators should consider deploying runtime monitoring solutions to detect anomalous pointer dereference patterns and implement network segmentation to limit potential information leakage. This vulnerability underscores the necessity of following security best practices such as those outlined in the CWE guidelines for preventing memory safety issues, and aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and information gathering through kernel exploitation. Device manufacturers should conduct thorough security assessments of their embedded systems and implement additional layers of memory protection where possible, particularly focusing on kernel-level input validation and pointer integrity checks.