CVE-2025-21483 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 09/24/2025
Memory corruption when the UE receives an RTP packet from the network, during the reassembly of NALUs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption issue within the Universal Endpoint processing of RTP packets, specifically during the Network Abstraction Layer Unit (NALU) reassembly phase. The flaw occurs when the UE receives RTP packets containing fragmented NALUs from the network, creating a scenario where improper memory handling can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking and memory management during the reconstruction of fragmented video data streams, which are commonly used in mobile communication systems for efficient media transmission.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the UE's media processing stack failing to properly validate or sanitize the size and structure of incoming RTP payload data during NALU reassembly operations. When fragmented NALUs arrive out of order or with unexpected sizes, the reassembly logic does not adequately protect against buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions that can occur when reconstructing the original media frame. This memory corruption can manifest as stack corruption, heap corruption, or other memory management issues that may allow attackers to execute malicious code with elevated privileges or cause denial of service conditions within the device's media processing subsystem. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at a low level within the communication stack where malicious actors could exploit it to gain unauthorized access to device resources or disrupt normal communication operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to mobile device security and network integrity, particularly in environments where real-time media streaming is prevalent such as video conferencing, live streaming, or VoIP services. The attack surface is broad as any device capable of receiving RTP packets containing fragmented NALUs could be affected, including smartphones, tablets, and IoT devices with mobile connectivity. The exploitation potential aligns with attack techniques categorized under the attack pattern of memory corruption vulnerabilities, and specifically relates to CWE-121 for stack-based buffer overflow conditions. Security teams should consider this vulnerability in the context of the attack chain where initial network-based attacks could lead to device compromise through media processing components. The impact extends beyond individual device security to potential network-wide disruption if exploited at scale.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the RTP processing and NALU reassembly components of the UE software stack. Network administrators should consider deploying network segmentation and traffic filtering rules to limit exposure to potentially malicious RTP streams, particularly those containing fragmented media data. Device manufacturers must ensure that software updates include proper memory management fixes that validate all incoming RTP packet sizes and structure before processing. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and regular security testing of media processing components, as it demonstrates how seemingly routine operations like packet reassembly can become attack vectors when proper memory safety measures are not implemented. Organizations should monitor for indicators of compromise related to media processing anomalies and implement network monitoring solutions capable of detecting unusual RTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.