CVE-2025-21446VulnerabilityPublished 8 Jul 2025

CVE-2025-21446: Qualcomm Snapdragon · Buffer Over-read

Affects Qualcomm SnapdragonSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 8 Jul 2025
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

Given the broad range of affected Qualcomm products and the absence of official patches at this time, European organizations should implement a multi-layered mitigation strategy: 1) Network Segmentation: Isolate critical wireless infrastructure and sensitive devices from general user networks to limit exposure. 2) Wireless Frame Filtering: Deploy advanced wireless intrusion prevention systems (WIPS) or access point firmware capable of filtering or blocking malformed BTM requests and suspicious vendor-specific information elements. 3) Firmware Updates: Monitor Qualcomm advisories and vendor-specific firmware updates closely, and apply patches promptly once available. 4) Device Inventory and Risk Assessment: Identify all devices using affected Qualcomm chipsets, including embedded IoT and automotive systems, to prioritize remediation efforts. 5) Network Monitoring: Implement enhanced monitoring for unusual WLAN frame patterns or repeated BTM requests that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Incident Response Preparedness: Develop and test response plans for transient wireless outages to minimize operational disruption. 7) Vendor Coordination: Engage with device and network equipment vendors to obtain timely updates and guidance tailored to specific hardware models. 8) Temporary Workarounds: Where possible, disable BTM features or restrict wireless management frame handling to trusted devices until patches are deployed. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific attack vector and affected components.

Description

Transient DOS may occur when processing vendor-specific information elements while parsing a WLAN frame for BTM requests.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-21446 can be significant due to the widespread use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in mobile devices, enterprise Wi-Fi access points, and IoT infrastructure. A transient DoS in wireless connectivity can disrupt critical communication channels, affecting mobile workforce productivity, real-time data transmission, and operational technology systems relying on wireless networks. Enterprises using Qualcomm-based networking equipment may experience network outages or degraded service quality, impacting business continuity. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public services, where reliable wireless connectivity is essential, this vulnerability could lead to operational delays or safety risks. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited in targeted attacks to cause denial of service in specific environments, such as corporate campuses or public Wi-Fi hotspots, potentially facilitating further intrusion attempts during downtime. Although the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact alone can have cascading effects on dependent applications and services. The lack of required privileges or user interaction for exploitation increases the risk, as attackers can remotely trigger the DoS condition without authentication, making it easier to weaponize in automated attacks or botnets.

CWE-126Buffer Over-read (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
The product reads from a buffer using buffer access mechanisms such as indexes or pointers that reference memory locations after the targeted buffer.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/july-2025-bulletin.html (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 13:14 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-126

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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