CVE-2025-21457 is a medium severity buffer over-read vulnerability (CWE-126) identified in various Qualcomm Snapdragon components, including multiple modem and connectivity chipsets such as AR8035, FastConnect 7800, QCA series chips, and Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF systems. The vulnerability arises from improper sanitization of the domain parameter when opening a FastRPC session, a communication mechanism used within Qualcomm chipsets to facilitate remote procedure calls between different processing domains. Due to the lack of domain sanitization, an attacker with limited privileges (PR:L) but local access can trigger a buffer over-read condition, causing the system to read beyond the intended memory buffer boundaries. This results in information disclosure (confidentiality impact) without affecting integrity or availability significantly. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1, reflecting a medium severity level, with an attack vector of local access, low attack complexity, no user interaction required, and no scope change. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The affected Snapdragon components are widely used in mobile devices, automotive telematics, and IoT devices, making this vulnerability relevant for embedded systems relying on Qualcomm hardware. The technical root cause is a classic buffer over-read due to insufficient input validation, which can leak sensitive memory contents to an attacker capable of initiating FastRPC sessions locally.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-21457 is primarily related to confidentiality breaches on devices using affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. This includes smartphones, automotive telematics units, and IoT devices deployed in enterprise and industrial environments. Information disclosure could expose sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or proprietary information stored in memory buffers. While the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, leaked information could facilitate further attacks or espionage. Industries such as automotive manufacturing, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure that rely on Snapdragon-based modems and connectivity modules are at risk. Given the local access requirement, exploitation is more likely in scenarios where attackers gain physical or local network access, such as insider threats or compromised devices within corporate networks. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the widespread deployment of affected hardware in Europe necessitates proactive mitigation to prevent potential targeted attacks.

To mitigate CVE-2025-21457 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Monitor Qualcomm and device OEM advisories closely for official patches and apply them promptly once available. 2) Restrict local access to devices with affected Snapdragon components by enforcing strict physical security controls and network segmentation to limit attacker proximity. 3) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring unusual FastRPC session activity or anomalous inter-process communications indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Implement strict access controls and privilege restrictions on devices to minimize the ability of low-privilege users to initiate FastRPC sessions. 5) For automotive and IoT deployments, ensure secure firmware update mechanisms are in place to facilitate timely patching. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on embedded device interfaces to detect potential exploitation paths. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local access vectors and monitoring chipset-specific communication channels.