CVE-2025-27056: CWE-416 Use After Free in Qualcomm, Inc. Snapdragon
Memory corruption during sub-system restart while processing clean-up to free up resources.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-27056 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms and related subsystems. The flaw arises from improper memory management during a sub-system restart process, specifically when cleaning up and freeing resources. This memory corruption vulnerability can be triggered with low attack complexity and requires limited privileges but no user interaction. The affected products include a broad range of Snapdragon chipsets and wireless connectivity modules such as FastConnect 7800, QMP1000, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform, and various WCD and WCN series components. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device due to the potential for arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the high impact and relatively low complexity of exploitation, although the attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning the attacker needs local access or control over a process on the device. No public exploits are currently known in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that affected organizations should prioritize monitoring and mitigation efforts. This vulnerability is particularly critical because Snapdragon chipsets are widely used in mobile devices, wearables, and IoT devices, which are often integral to enterprise and consumer environments. The use-after-free condition during subsystem restart suggests that attackers might exploit device resets or reinitializations to trigger the flaw, potentially bypassing some traditional security controls.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-27056 is significant due to the widespread deployment of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in smartphones, tablets, wearables, and IoT devices used by employees and within corporate infrastructure. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on affected devices, leading to data theft, espionage, persistent malware installation, or denial of service. This is especially concerning for sectors relying heavily on mobile and wearable technology, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. The vulnerability could also be leveraged in targeted attacks against executives or key personnel using affected devices. Additionally, compromised IoT devices with these chipsets could serve as entry points into corporate networks or be used in botnets for broader attacks. The local attack vector means that attackers might need physical access or initial foothold on the device, but given the prevalence of mobile devices, this barrier is relatively low. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the high severity score demands urgent attention to prevent future exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate inventory and identification of all devices using affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets within the organization, including mobile phones, tablets, wearables, and IoT devices. 2. Monitor Qualcomm and device manufacturers for official patches or firmware updates addressing CVE-2025-27056 and apply them promptly once available. 3. Implement strict access controls and endpoint security measures to limit local access to devices, including enforcing strong authentication and device lockdown policies. 4. Employ mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, monitor device health, and remotely isolate or wipe compromised devices. 5. Educate users about the risks of physical device access by unauthorized personnel and encourage reporting of lost or stolen devices immediately. 6. For critical environments, consider network segmentation to reduce the risk of compromised devices being used as pivot points. 7. Use runtime protection and anomaly detection tools on endpoints to detect unusual behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. 8. Regularly audit and update device firmware and software to minimize exposure to known vulnerabilities. 9. Collaborate with vendors and security communities to share threat intelligence and stay informed about emerging exploit techniques related to this vulnerability.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Poland
CVE-2025-27056: CWE-416 Use After Free in Qualcomm, Inc. Snapdragon
Description
Memory corruption during sub-system restart while processing clean-up to free up resources.
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-27056 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms and related subsystems. The flaw arises from improper memory management during a sub-system restart process, specifically when cleaning up and freeing resources. This memory corruption vulnerability can be triggered with low attack complexity and requires limited privileges but no user interaction. The affected products include a broad range of Snapdragon chipsets and wireless connectivity modules such as FastConnect 7800, QMP1000, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 Wearable Platform, and various WCD and WCN series components. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device due to the potential for arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects the high impact and relatively low complexity of exploitation, although the attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning the attacker needs local access or control over a process on the device. No public exploits are currently known in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that affected organizations should prioritize monitoring and mitigation efforts. This vulnerability is particularly critical because Snapdragon chipsets are widely used in mobile devices, wearables, and IoT devices, which are often integral to enterprise and consumer environments. The use-after-free condition during subsystem restart suggests that attackers might exploit device resets or reinitializations to trigger the flaw, potentially bypassing some traditional security controls.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-27056 is significant due to the widespread deployment of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in smartphones, tablets, wearables, and IoT devices used by employees and within corporate infrastructure. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on affected devices, leading to data theft, espionage, persistent malware installation, or denial of service. This is especially concerning for sectors relying heavily on mobile and wearable technology, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. The vulnerability could also be leveraged in targeted attacks against executives or key personnel using affected devices. Additionally, compromised IoT devices with these chipsets could serve as entry points into corporate networks or be used in botnets for broader attacks. The local attack vector means that attackers might need physical access or initial foothold on the device, but given the prevalence of mobile devices, this barrier is relatively low. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the high severity score demands urgent attention to prevent future exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate inventory and identification of all devices using affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets within the organization, including mobile phones, tablets, wearables, and IoT devices. 2. Monitor Qualcomm and device manufacturers for official patches or firmware updates addressing CVE-2025-27056 and apply them promptly once available. 3. Implement strict access controls and endpoint security measures to limit local access to devices, including enforcing strong authentication and device lockdown policies. 4. Employ mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, monitor device health, and remotely isolate or wipe compromised devices. 5. Educate users about the risks of physical device access by unauthorized personnel and encourage reporting of lost or stolen devices immediately. 6. For critical environments, consider network segmentation to reduce the risk of compromised devices being used as pivot points. 7. Use runtime protection and anomaly detection tools on endpoints to detect unusual behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. 8. Regularly audit and update device firmware and software to minimize exposure to known vulnerabilities. 9. Collaborate with vendors and security communities to share threat intelligence and stay informed about emerging exploit techniques related to this vulnerability.
Affected Countries
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- qualcomm
- Date Reserved
- 2025-02-18T09:19:46.886Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 686d15076f40f0eb72f50fc7
Added to database: 7/8/2025, 12:54:31 PM
Last enriched: 7/8/2025, 1:10:22 PM
Last updated: 8/20/2025, 9:48:47 AM
Views: 23
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