CVE-2024-45566 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms and related FastConnect and modem components. The root cause is memory corruption triggered by concurrent buffer access where the reference count is improperly modified, leading to a use-after-free condition. This flaw occurs when a buffer's reference count is decremented or altered concurrently without proper synchronization, causing the system to access memory that has already been freed. The affected products include a wide range of Snapdragon mobile platforms (e.g., Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Snapdragon 865 series, Snapdragon 429 Mobile Platform), FastConnect wireless connectivity subsystems (6800, 6900, 7800), and various modem and RF system components (e.g., Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System). The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, indicating high severity, with attack vector local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Exploitation requires local access but can lead to full compromise of the affected device's memory, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches have been linked at the time of publication. The vulnerability affects critical components responsible for wireless communication and modem functionality, which are integral to mobile devices and IoT systems using Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in smartphones, tablets, IoT devices, and embedded systems. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of communication services, and potential device takeover. Enterprises relying on mobile devices for secure communications, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, could face confidentiality breaches and operational disruptions. The vulnerability's local attack vector means that attackers would need some form of local access or foothold, which could be achieved through malicious apps, insider threats, or compromised peripherals. Given the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, exploitation could undermine trust in mobile communications and IoT deployments, affecting business continuity and regulatory compliance under GDPR and other data protection laws.

European organizations should prioritize the following mitigations: 1) Monitor Qualcomm and device manufacturers for official patches and firmware updates addressing CVE-2024-45566 and apply them promptly. 2) Implement strict application whitelisting and mobile device management (MDM) policies to limit installation of untrusted or malicious applications that could exploit local vulnerabilities. 3) Employ runtime protection and memory safety tools on devices where feasible to detect and prevent use-after-free exploitation attempts. 4) Restrict physical and logical access to devices, especially in sensitive environments, to reduce the risk of local exploitation. 5) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on mobile and IoT device security to identify potential attack vectors. 6) Educate users about the risks of installing unverified software and the importance of device security hygiene. 7) For organizations deploying IoT devices with affected chipsets, isolate these devices on segmented networks and monitor for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts.