CVE-2025-21482 is a high-severity cryptographic vulnerability affecting a broad range of Qualcomm Snapdragon products, including numerous mobile platforms, modems, IoT devices, and connectivity modules. The vulnerability stems from an issue in the RSA PKCS#1 padding decoding process, classified under CWE-310, which relates to cryptographic issues. Specifically, improper handling or decoding of RSA PKCS padding can lead to cryptographic failures that may allow an attacker with limited privileges to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of cryptographic operations. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 indicates a high severity, with an attack vector of local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality and integrity is high (C:H/I:H), while availability is not affected (A:N). This suggests that an attacker who can execute code or commands locally on a vulnerable device could exploit this flaw to extract sensitive cryptographic keys or manipulate cryptographic operations, potentially undermining secure communications or authentication mechanisms. The affected product list is extensive, covering Snapdragon mobile platforms from entry-level to flagship, various modem generations (LTE, 5G), IoT and embedded platforms, wearable platforms, automotive modems, and wireless connectivity chips. This wide range indicates that many devices globally, including smartphones, IoT devices, automotive systems, and enterprise networking equipment, could be impacted. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet, indicating that mitigation may require vendor updates once available. The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges, which means attackers need some foothold on the device but do not require elevated privileges or user interaction to exploit the flaw once local access is obtained.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-21482 is significant due to the widespread use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in mobile devices, IoT infrastructure, automotive telematics, and enterprise networking equipment. Confidentiality breaches could lead to exposure of sensitive corporate communications, cryptographic keys, or authentication credentials, undermining trust in secure communications and data protection. Integrity impacts could allow attackers to manipulate cryptographic operations, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, unauthorized access, or data tampering. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, as attackers could leverage other vulnerabilities or social engineering to gain initial access. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and automotive industries in Europe rely heavily on devices powered by Snapdragon platforms, increasing the risk profile. Additionally, the automotive sector's increasing reliance on connected vehicle platforms using Snapdragon modems could expose safety-critical systems to compromise. The lack of current known exploits provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the broad device footprint means that patching and device updates will be a complex and resource-intensive process for European enterprises and service providers.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on minimizing local access to devices containing affected Snapdragon chipsets. This includes enforcing strict endpoint security controls, limiting physical and remote access, and monitoring for suspicious local activity. 2. Deploy comprehensive device management and update mechanisms to ensure timely application of vendor patches once released by Qualcomm or device manufacturers. 3. For enterprise mobile device management (MDM), enforce encryption and secure boot features to reduce the risk of unauthorized local code execution. 4. Network segmentation and zero-trust principles should be applied to isolate vulnerable devices and limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 5. Conduct thorough inventory and asset management to identify all devices using affected Snapdragon products, including embedded and IoT devices, to prioritize patching and monitoring efforts. 6. Employ cryptographic validation and anomaly detection tools to identify potential misuse or manipulation of cryptographic operations. 7. Collaborate with vendors and Qualcomm for early access to patches and technical guidance. 8. Educate users and administrators about the risks of local access exploits and enforce strong authentication and physical security controls to reduce attack vectors.