CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-22071Exploited in the wildNVD status: Analyzed

Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets Use-After-Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-22071 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music from Qualcomm, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on December 5, 2023, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.

Patch now

Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. CISA's required action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
  3. Read the advisory on qualcomm.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
QualcommSnapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & MusicNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommApq8053 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommAr8031 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommAr8035 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommCsra6620 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommCsra6640 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommMdm9150 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommMsm8953 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6174a FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6390 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6391 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6426 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6436 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6574 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6574a FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6574au FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6595au FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca6696 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca8081 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca8337 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQca9377 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQcm2290 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQcm4290 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQcm6490 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
QualcommQcs2290 FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE; 35 further products are omitted here. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.18.4HighCNA (qualcomm.com)
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD
CVSS 2.07.2HighNVD

Official description

Possible use after free when process shell memory is freed using IOCTL munmap call and process initialization is in progress in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
  3. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  4. Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
  5. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Other vulnerabilities in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music

All Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music vulnerabilities

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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