CVE-2022-25672 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile chipsets and related modem components. The flaw arises from a reachable assertion failure within the modem firmware when processing System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) messages containing an invalid bandwidth parameter. SIB1 messages are part of the LTE and 5G cellular network broadcast information used by mobile devices to configure radio parameters. The assertion failure indicates that the modem software encounters an unexpected or malformed bandwidth value, triggering an internal check that causes the modem to halt or reset, resulting in a denial of service (DoS). This vulnerability affects a broad range of Qualcomm products, including Snapdragon 8 Gen1 5G, SD480, SD695, SDX65, and various wireless connectivity chips (WCN and WSA series). The affected versions include both modem and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chips, indicating a wide hardware footprint. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion), which typically involves code assertions that can be triggered by crafted inputs, leading to crashes or unstable behavior. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no patches are currently linked, suggesting that mitigation may rely on firmware updates from device manufacturers or carriers. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, as it is triggered by network broadcast messages, making it potentially exploitable remotely by an attacker controlling a malicious base station or by an attacker in proximity to the victim device's radio environment. The impact is primarily a denial of service, causing the modem to become unresponsive or reset, which can disrupt cellular connectivity and degrade device availability.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-25672 can be significant, especially for enterprises relying heavily on mobile connectivity for critical operations, including remote work, IoT deployments, and mobile communications. A successful exploitation could lead to temporary loss of cellular service on affected devices, impacting communication, data transfer, and access to cloud services. This could disrupt business continuity, especially in sectors such as finance, healthcare, transportation, and emergency services where reliable mobile connectivity is essential. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted denial of service attacks against specific users or groups by adversaries capable of deploying rogue base stations or signal jammers. The broad range of affected Qualcomm chipsets means that many mobile devices in use across Europe, including smartphones, tablets, and embedded IoT devices, could be vulnerable. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could indirectly affect security monitoring, incident response, and operational resilience. Given the increasing reliance on 5G and LTE networks in Europe, the risk of service disruption is non-trivial, particularly in environments with high device density or critical mobile infrastructure.

Mitigation should focus on a multi-layered approach: 1) Device manufacturers and mobile network operators should prioritize firmware and software updates that address this assertion failure once patches become available from Qualcomm. 2) Network operators can implement detection and filtering mechanisms to identify and block malformed or suspicious SIB1 messages at the network edge, reducing the risk of triggering the vulnerability. 3) Enterprises should maintain an inventory of devices using affected Qualcomm chipsets and coordinate with vendors to ensure timely patch deployment. 4) Deploy network anomaly detection systems capable of identifying rogue base stations or unusual signaling patterns that could be used to exploit this vulnerability. 5) For critical deployments, consider fallback communication methods or redundant connectivity options to maintain availability during potential denial of service incidents. 6) Security teams should monitor threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploit activity related to this CVE and be prepared to respond to incidents involving cellular service disruption. 7) End users should be advised to keep their devices updated and avoid connecting to untrusted or suspicious cellular networks. These measures go beyond generic advice by emphasizing network-level controls, vendor coordination, and operational preparedness specific to the nature of this modem vulnerability.