CVE-2025-21444 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 07/08/2025
Memory corruption while copying the result to the transmission queue in EMAC.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-21444 represents a critical memory corruption issue within the EMAC (Ethernet MAC) subsystem of network interface controllers. This flaw occurs during the process of copying transmission results to the transmission queue, indicating a fundamental weakness in how memory operations are handled within the hardware abstraction layer. The issue stems from improper memory management during data transfer operations, where the system fails to properly validate or allocate memory resources when moving data from processing buffers to transmission queues. Such memory corruption vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in network hardware contexts as they can lead to unpredictable system behavior and potential security breaches.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests as a buffer overflow or memory overwrite condition within the EMAC driver's transmission handling logic. When the system attempts to copy transmission results to the transmission queue, insufficient bounds checking or improper memory allocation occurs, allowing malicious actors to potentially manipulate memory contents. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-121 category of Stack-based Buffer Overflow, though it specifically relates to memory corruption in hardware transmission queues rather than traditional software buffers. The vulnerability can be exploited through crafted network packets or transmission sequences that trigger the problematic code path during normal operation.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-21444 extends beyond simple system instability to encompass potential security compromise of network infrastructure. Memory corruption in transmission queues can lead to denial of service conditions where legitimate network traffic is disrupted, or more severe scenarios where attackers can execute arbitrary code within the network controller's memory space. The vulnerability affects systems that rely on EMAC-based network interfaces for data transmission, potentially impacting network switches, routers, embedded systems, and industrial control equipment. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for execution through system commands and T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise and industrial environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, as the flaw exists at the hardware driver level within the EMAC subsystem. System administrators should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous transmission patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also necessitates careful review of network protocols and transmission queue management procedures to prevent malicious packet crafting that could trigger the memory corruption. Additionally, implementing memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and hardware-based memory protection features can provide additional defense layers. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of all network infrastructure components that utilize EMAC interfaces, particularly those in critical infrastructure environments where the impact of denial of service or data compromise could be catastrophic.