CVE-2025-27060 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-822 (Untrusted Pointer Dereference) affecting Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms. The issue arises from improper handling of pointers during Secure Channel Manager (SCM) calls when malformed inputs are provided, leading to memory corruption. This memory corruption can be exploited to manipulate program execution flow, potentially allowing an attacker to escalate privileges, execute arbitrary code, or cause denial of service. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Snapdragon platforms, including Immersive Home 214/216/316/318 and multiple QCN series chipsets (e.g., QCN6023, QCN9000, QCN9274). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.8, indicating high severity, with attack vector Local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and scope changed (S:C). The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). No public exploits or patches are currently available, but the vulnerability’s nature suggests that an attacker with local access could leverage malformed SCM calls to compromise the device fully. The affected platforms are commonly used in networking equipment, IoT devices, and embedded systems, making this a critical concern for infrastructure relying on Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat to the security of devices using affected Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms, particularly in telecommunications, IoT, and embedded systems. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, system manipulation, or complete device takeover, severely impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical infrastructure. Given the widespread use of Snapdragon chipsets in network routers, gateways, and smart devices, successful exploitation could disrupt business operations, compromise sensitive data, and facilitate lateral movement within networks. The local attack vector implies that attackers need some level of access, which could be achieved through compromised internal systems or malicious insiders. The absence of patches increases the risk window, making proactive mitigation essential. The vulnerability could also be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value European sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and government services that rely on Snapdragon-powered devices for connectivity and IoT integration.

1. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all SCM calls to prevent malformed inputs from triggering memory corruption. 2. Restrict access to SCM interfaces to only trusted and authenticated processes, minimizing the attack surface. 3. Employ runtime protections such as Control Flow Integrity (CFI) and memory safety mechanisms to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. 4. Monitor device logs and behavior for anomalous SCM call patterns or unexpected crashes indicative of exploitation attempts. 5. Isolate critical Snapdragon-based devices within segmented network zones to limit lateral movement if compromised. 6. Maintain up-to-date firmware and software from Qualcomm and device manufacturers, applying patches promptly once available. 7. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on local privilege escalation vectors. 8. Educate internal teams about the risks of local access exploitation and enforce strict access controls on devices running affected platforms.