CVE-2024-53029 is a vulnerability identified in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, specifically impacting a broad range of models including QAM, QCA, SA, and SRV series. The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-20) during the processing of data buffers controlled by guest virtual machines, which leads to memory corruption. This memory corruption can be exploited by an attacker with low privileges on the guest VM to potentially execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service on the host system. The vulnerability arises because the Snapdragon firmware or hypervisor component fails to properly validate or sanitize input data from the guest VM before reading it into memory, allowing crafted malicious input to corrupt memory structures. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the vulnerability’s high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with relatively low attack complexity and privileges required, and no need for user interaction. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability poses a significant risk in environments where Snapdragon chipsets are used in virtualized or multi-tenant contexts, such as mobile devices running virtualized environments or embedded systems using virtualization for security or resource partitioning. The affected Snapdragon models are widely deployed globally in smartphones, IoT devices, and embedded platforms, making this a broadly relevant security issue.

The vulnerability could allow attackers with limited privileges on a guest virtual machine to corrupt memory on the host Snapdragon platform, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or denial of service. This compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems. For organizations, this means that sensitive data could be exposed or manipulated, critical services could be disrupted, and attackers could gain persistent control over devices. The impact is especially severe in multi-tenant environments such as cloud services, mobile carriers, or enterprise networks where Snapdragon-based devices run virtualized workloads. The broad range of affected Snapdragon models means a large number of devices worldwide are at risk, including smartphones, IoT devices, and embedded systems. This could lead to widespread exploitation if attackers develop reliable exploits, affecting user privacy, corporate security, and critical infrastructure relying on these platforms.

Organizations should monitor Qualcomm and device vendors for official patches and apply them promptly once available. Until patches are released, implement strict isolation and access controls between guest virtual machines and host systems to limit exposure. Employ runtime protections such as memory corruption mitigations (e.g., DEP, ASLR) where supported. Conduct thorough input validation and sanitization on any custom interfaces interacting with guest VMs. Limit the deployment of vulnerable Snapdragon devices in high-risk or sensitive environments if possible. Use network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual activity indicative of exploitation attempts. For developers and integrators, review and harden virtualization and buffer handling code to prevent improper input validation. Finally, maintain up-to-date inventories of affected devices to prioritize remediation efforts effectively.