CVE-2025-21481 is a high-severity buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) found in multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms and related products. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of input sizes during private key encryption operations within a trusted application environment. Specifically, the flaw involves a classic buffer copy without checking the size of the input, which can lead to memory corruption. This memory corruption can be exploited to overwrite adjacent memory regions, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service by crashing the affected system. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Qualcomm products, including numerous Snapdragon mobile platforms (from mid-range to flagship models), IoT modems, automotive platforms, wearable platforms, compute platforms, and various wireless connectivity modules. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.8, indicating a high severity with the attack vector being local (AV:L), requiring low complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild, but the extensive list of affected devices and the critical nature of the flaw make it a significant security concern. The lack of patch links suggests that fixes may still be under development or pending release. Given the involvement of private key encryption, this vulnerability could compromise cryptographic operations, potentially undermining the security of communications and data protected by these devices.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-21481 is substantial due to the widespread deployment of Qualcomm Snapdragon-based devices across consumer, enterprise, and industrial sectors. Mobile devices using affected Snapdragon platforms are ubiquitous among employees and consumers, making personal and corporate data at risk. The vulnerability could allow attackers with local access—such as through compromised applications or insider threats—to execute arbitrary code or disrupt device operations, leading to data breaches, loss of data integrity, or service outages. In sectors relying on IoT and automotive platforms (e.g., manufacturing, automotive, logistics), exploitation could affect critical infrastructure and safety systems, potentially causing operational disruptions or safety hazards. The compromise of private key encryption processes could also undermine secure communications, impacting confidentiality and trust in encrypted channels. Given the no user interaction requirement, exploitation could be stealthy and automated once local access is achieved. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability means that organizations could face regulatory penalties under GDPR if personal data is compromised, reputational damage, and financial losses from operational downtime or incident response costs.

1. Immediate inventory and identification of all devices and platforms using affected Qualcomm Snapdragon products within the organization, including mobile devices, IoT endpoints, automotive systems, and compute platforms. 2. Monitor Qualcomm’s official security advisories and vendor communications for patches or firmware updates addressing CVE-2025-21481 and apply them promptly once available. 3. Implement strict access controls and endpoint security measures to limit local access to devices, including enforcing least privilege principles and using mobile device management (MDM) solutions to control application installations and device configurations. 4. Employ runtime protection mechanisms such as memory protection, address space layout randomization (ASLR), and control flow integrity (CFI) where supported by the platform to mitigate exploitation risks. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on local privilege escalation and memory corruption vulnerabilities to detect potential exploitation attempts. 6. For critical IoT and automotive deployments, isolate vulnerable devices on segmented networks and monitor for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 7. Educate users and administrators about the risks of installing untrusted applications or connecting unknown peripherals that could facilitate local exploitation. 8. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing exploitation of local vulnerabilities in embedded and mobile devices to ensure rapid containment and remediation.