CVE-2025-47386 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 03/02/2026
Memory Corruption while invoking IOCTL calls when concurrent access to shared buffer occurs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw that manifests during ioctl system calls when multiple processes or threads attempt to access a shared buffer simultaneously. The issue stems from inadequate synchronization mechanisms within the kernel-level driver code, creating a race condition scenario where concurrent access to memory resources results in unpredictable data corruption patterns. The vulnerability specifically impacts drivers that handle device io control operations, where the shared buffer serves as a communication channel between user-space applications and kernel-space components. When multiple concurrent threads or processes attempt to write to or read from the same buffer location without proper locking mechanisms, the memory layout becomes corrupted, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of race conditions and memory safety issues, with direct implications for system integrity and security. The flaw can be exploited through carefully crafted concurrent access patterns that trigger the memory corruption during ioctl invocation, making it particularly dangerous in multi-threaded environments where multiple applications interact with the same device driver simultaneously.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer overread and write scenario within kernel space, where the shared buffer management lacks proper atomic operations or mutex locking. When concurrent access occurs, the driver fails to properly serialize access to the shared memory region, allowing multiple execution contexts to modify the same memory location simultaneously. This results in memory corruption that can manifest as heap corruption, stack corruption, or pointer corruption depending on the specific buffer layout and access patterns. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the kernel level where privilege escalation opportunities exist, and the memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. The root cause aligns with CWE-362, which identifies race conditions as a primary vulnerability class where concurrent operations create security issues. Additionally, this flaw can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation through kernel exploits, and T1547 which addresses privilege escalation via kernel driver manipulation.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-47386 extends beyond simple system instability to encompass potential complete system compromise and data breach scenarios. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain elevated privileges, potentially leading to full system control, persistent backdoor installation, or data exfiltration from sensitive system components. The concurrent access pattern required for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly challenging to detect through standard monitoring, as legitimate multi-threaded applications may inadvertently trigger the race condition. Systems running affected drivers become vulnerable to both local and remote exploitation depending on the device driver's accessibility and the attacker's initial access level. The memory corruption can cause system crashes, data loss, or allow attackers to manipulate kernel memory structures to achieve unauthorized access to system resources. Organizations with high-security requirements, such as financial institutions, government agencies, or critical infrastructure operators, face significant risk from this vulnerability due to the potential for persistent compromise and the difficulty in detecting such attacks. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where multiple applications interact with the same device driver simultaneously, creating numerous potential attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-47386 must address both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper synchronization mechanisms such as mutex locks, semaphores, or atomic operations to ensure exclusive access to shared buffers during ioctl operations. System administrators should apply vendor-provided patches as soon as available, as these typically include proper locking mechanisms and memory management improvements. Additionally, implementing kernel hardening techniques such as stack canaries, kernel address space layout randomization, and control flow integrity checks can provide defense-in-depth protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should focus on identifying other potential race conditions within kernel drivers, as this vulnerability may indicate broader architectural weaknesses. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the attack surface by restricting access to vulnerable device drivers. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual concurrent access patterns to device drivers, as these may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates and maintain detailed logs of driver usage patterns for forensic analysis. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper concurrency control in kernel-level programming and the necessity of rigorous security testing for device drivers before deployment in production environments.