CVE-2021-1905KEV · OVERDUE

Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets Use-After-Free Vulnerability

High · published May 7, 2021

Patch now

Confirmed exploited, and the score agrees

CVSS calls it high at 8.4. It is confirmed in active exploitation. It sits in the 74.8th percentile for exploit probability.

1635
days past CISA
deadline
CVSS v3.1
8.4
EPSS
2%
Percentile
74.8
In the wild
Confirmed
What it is

🚨 A use-after-free vulnerability lurks in Snapdragon components, ready to cause chaos across multiple platforms! 🔥 Think of it as a restaurant that keeps serving meals to guests who have already left the table, leading to chaotic mix-ups in the kitchen. If the staff doesn’t properly check who’s still dining, they might dish out a meal meant for one patron to another, causing confusion and potential food fights! An attacker could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access, potentially leading to control over the affected devices. This could result in critical data leaks, erratic device behavior, or even full system crashes, as the memory mishandling creates opportunities for malicious activities. The stakes are particularly high here, as the compromised components span various industries, including automotive and consumer IoT! ⚡

Put simply

Think of it as a restaurant that keeps serving meals to guests who have already left the table, leading to chaotic mix-ups in the kitchen. If the staff doesn’t properly check who’s still dining, they might dish out a meal meant for one patron to another, causing confusion and potential food fights! The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory mapping in the affected Snapdragon components, allowing an attacker to exploit memory that has already been freed — think of it as running a program on empty memory slots that can still be accessed, leading to unpredictable results.

What to do

An attacker could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access, potentially leading to control over the affected devices. This could result in critical data leaks, erratic device behavior, or even full system crashes, as the memory mishandling creates opportunities for malicious activities. The stakes are particularly high here, as the compromised components span various industries, including automotive and consumer IoT! ⚡ To remediate, ensure that all affected Snapdragon devices are updated to the latest firmware version that addresses this vulnerability. Additionally, conduct a thorough review of memory management practices within your applications and systems to prevent similar issues in the future. Don't let this slip through the cracks! You’ve got this! By following these steps, you can keep your devices safe and sound. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
8.4 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01543 · 74.8th percentile
Published
2021-05-07T09:10Z
KEV added
2021-11-03 · due 2022-05-03
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 03 NOV 00:00Z
    Added to CISA KEV — remediate by May 3
    kev
  • 07 MAY 09:10Z
    Possible use after free due to improper handling of memory mapping of multiple processes simultaneously
    cvelistv5