CVE-2025-21428 is a buffer over-read vulnerability classified under CWE-126 found in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. The vulnerability arises during the wireless connection process when a station (STA) connects to an access point (AP) and the AP initiates an ADD TS (Traffic Specification) request to establish a TSpec session, which is part of the Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) protocol for quality of service. This process involves handling specific data structures that, due to improper bounds checking, can lead to reading beyond allocated memory buffers, causing memory corruption. The affected Snapdragon variants span a broad spectrum of Qualcomm products, including LTE modems, mobile platforms, automotive platforms, wearable platforms, and wireless connectivity modules. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.5 (high), reflecting the network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality or integrity impact (C:N/I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). This means an attacker can remotely trigger a denial of service condition without authentication or user action. While no public exploits are known, the vulnerability's nature and affected product range make it a critical concern for device manufacturers, network operators, and end users. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates urgent attention to vendor advisories and interim mitigations.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-21428 is denial of service (DoS) caused by memory corruption leading to device crashes or reboots. This can disrupt mobile communications, IoT device functionality, automotive systems relying on Snapdragon platforms, and wireless connectivity in consumer electronics. For organizations, this can translate into operational downtime, loss of productivity, and potential safety risks in automotive or industrial environments. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no privileges or user interaction, increasing the risk of widespread automated attacks once exploit code becomes available. Given the extensive deployment of affected Snapdragon chipsets globally, the threat surface is vast, encompassing smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment and telematics systems, smart audio devices, and wearable technology. This can affect both consumer privacy and enterprise network stability. Additionally, attackers could leverage this DoS condition as part of a larger attack chain to disrupt critical infrastructure or degrade service availability.

1. Apply official firmware and software updates from Qualcomm and device manufacturers as soon as they become available to patch the vulnerability. 2. Network operators should monitor Wi-Fi management frames, specifically ADD TS requests, for anomalous or malformed packets that could indicate exploitation attempts. 3. Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable wireless devices from critical infrastructure to limit potential impact. 4. Disable or restrict WMM features on access points and devices where QoS is not essential, reducing the attack surface related to TSpec session establishment. 5. Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics targeting malformed ADD TS requests. 6. For automotive and IoT deployments, coordinate with vendors to ensure timely updates and consider fallback operational modes that reduce reliance on vulnerable wireless features. 7. Educate security teams and end users about the risk and signs of device instability that may indicate exploitation attempts. 8. Maintain an inventory of affected devices to prioritize patching and monitoring efforts effectively.