CVE-2020-11159
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a buffer over-read vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets when processing WPA/RSN information elements in Wi-Fi beacon and response frames. Attackers can exploit this to read adjacent memory contents, potentially exposing sensitive information. Affected devices include various Snapdragon-based products across automotive, compute, mobile, IoT, and networking segments.
💻 Affected Systems
- Snapdragon Auto
- Snapdragon Compute
- Snapdragon Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer IOT
- Snapdragon Industrial IOT
- Snapdragon IoT
- Snapdragon Mobile
- Snapdragon Voice & Music
- Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
📦 What is this software?
Sd7c Firmware by Qualcomm
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete device compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Information disclosure through memory read, potentially exposing Wi-Fi credentials, session keys, or other sensitive data in adjacent memory.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure with proper network segmentation and access controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting malicious Wi-Fi frames and proximity to target device's Wi-Fi range.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check device manufacturer for specific firmware updates
Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2021-bulletin
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check with device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply firmware update from manufacturer. 3. Reboot device after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Wi-Fi
linuxTemporarily disable Wi-Fi functionality on affected devices
nmcli radio wifi off
ip link set wlan0 down
Network Segmentation
allIsolate affected devices on separate VLANs with strict firewall rules
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate affected devices
- Deploy network monitoring for anomalous Wi-Fi frame patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device chipset model and firmware version against Qualcomm advisoryCheck Version:
cat /sys/devices/soc0/*version* or check device settings/about phoneVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version has been updated to patched version from manufacturer📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Wi-Fi driver/firmware crash logs
- Unexpected memory access errors in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Malformed WPA/RSN IE in beacon frames
- Unusual Wi-Fi frame patterns from unknown sources
SIEM Query:
source="wifi_logs" AND ("buffer over-read" OR "WPA IE" OR "RSN IE")