CVE-2023-43525VulnerabilityPublished 6 May 2024Updated 16 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-43525: Qualcomm Snapdragon · Classic Buffer Overflow

Affects Qualcomm SnapdragonSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.7 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.7Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 May 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Monitor Qualcomm and device vendor advisories closely for official patches and apply them promptly once available. 2. Implement strict access controls to limit local privileged access on devices, reducing the risk of exploitation. 3. Employ runtime protections such as kernel address space layout randomization (KASLR) and stack canaries to mitigate buffer overflow impacts. 4. Conduct thorough input validation and boundary checks in custom drivers or software interfacing with sound model data. 5. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for unusual local privilege escalation attempts or kernel memory corruption indicators. 6. For automotive and IoT deployments, isolate critical systems from user-accessible interfaces and enforce secure boot and firmware integrity checks. 7. Educate internal teams about the risks of local privilege escalation vulnerabilities and enforce least privilege principles. 8. In environments where patching is delayed, consider deploying host-based intrusion prevention systems (HIPS) to detect exploitation attempts targeting kernel memory. 9. Regularly audit device inventories to identify and track affected Snapdragon chipset versions in use. 10. Collaborate with suppliers to ensure timely vulnerability management and secure firmware updates.

Description

CVE-2023-43525 is a medium severity buffer overflow vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets affecting multiple versions and models. It arises from improper size checking when copying sound model data from user space to kernel space, leading to memory corruption. Exploitation requires local privileged access and no user interaction, potentially allowing attackers with high privileges to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected devices. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild, the vulnerability impacts a broad range of Snapdragon-based devices, including mobile phones, automotive systems, and IoT devices. European organizations using devices with these chipsets, especially in critical infrastructure or automotive sectors, could face risks of privilege escalation or system compromise. Mitigation involves applying vendor patches once available and implementing strict input validation and memory protection mechanisms. Countries with high adoption of Snapdragon devices and advanced automotive industries, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are most likely to be affected. Given the medium CVSS score and exploitation complexity, the threat requires attention but is not immediately critical.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-43525 could be significant depending on device usage. Many smartphones, automotive systems, and IoT devices in Europe use Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. In mobile devices, exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or persistent device compromise. In automotive systems, especially those relying on Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF platforms, exploitation could affect vehicle safety, communications, or infotainment systems, posing risks to driver safety and operational continuity. Industrial IoT devices using affected chipsets could suffer from system crashes or unauthorized control, impacting manufacturing or critical infrastructure. The requirement for local high privilege access limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised devices could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges or disrupt services. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but also means organizations must proactively patch and monitor. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all rated high, indicating potential for data breaches, system manipulation, or denial of service. The broad chipset coverage means large segments of European consumer and enterprise technology ecosystems could be affected.

Summary

CVE-2023-43525 is a classic buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) identified in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, specifically during the process of copying sound model data from user space to kernel space buffers. The flaw stems from a lack of proper size validation when transferring this data, which can lead to memory corruption. This vulnerability affects a wide range of Snapdragon versions and models, including AR8035, FastConnect 7800, various QAM and QCA series chips, SA series, and Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF systems. The vulnerability is exploitable locally by an attacker with high privileges (PR:H) without requiring user interaction (UI:N). The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.7, indicating medium severity, with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (all rated high). The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning physical or logical access to the device is necessary. No public exploits are currently known, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by corrupting kernel memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system instability. The broad range of affected chipsets means many devices across mobile, automotive, and IoT sectors could be vulnerable. Qualcomm’s assignment and publication dates indicate the issue was reserved in September 2023 and published in May 2024. The vulnerability highlights the risks of insufficient input validation in kernel drivers handling user data.

CWE-120Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #11
The product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer.
Requirements · Language Selection
Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
Operation · Build and Compilation · Environment Hardening
Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index…
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V14.1.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables (opens in a new tab)
Overflow Buffers (opens in a new tab)
Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow (opens in a new tab)
Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow (opens in a new tab)
MIME Conversion (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/may-2024-bulletin.html (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Dec 2025, 18:31 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-120

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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