CVE-2020-11241
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger an out-of-bounds read in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets when processing EAPOL keys with insufficient length in NAN shared key descriptor attributes. This affects numerous Snapdragon-powered devices across automotive, mobile, IoT, and networking segments. Attackers could potentially read adjacent memory contents.
💻 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
Information disclosure of sensitive memory contents, potential system crash, or remote code execution if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
System instability, denial of service, or limited information disclosure from adjacent memory regions.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing malicious EAPOL packets.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted EAPOL packets to vulnerable devices; attacker needs network proximity/access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware updates from device manufacturers/OEMs
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 Qualcomm-provided patches through OEM update channels. 3. Reboot device after update installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Wi-Fi/NAN features
allTemporarily disable Wi-Fi and NAN (Neighbor Awareness Networking) capabilities if not required.
Device-specific commands vary by platform; typically through network settings or configuration files.
Network segmentation
allIsolate vulnerable devices on separate network segments with strict access controls.
Configure firewall rules to restrict EAPOL traffic to trusted sources only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can send EAPOL packets to vulnerable devices.
- Monitor network traffic for anomalous EAPOL packets and implement intrusion detection rules.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device firmware version against manufacturer security bulletins; examine Qualcomm chipset model and driver versions.Check Version:
Device-specific commands (e.g., on Android: 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' or check Settings > About phone)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version has been updated to a version listed as patched by the device manufacturer.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- System crashes or reboots related to Wi-Fi/wireless drivers
- Kernel panic logs mentioning EAPOL or NAN processing
Network Indicators:
- Unusual EAPOL packet patterns or malformed key exchanges on wireless networks
SIEM Query:
Example: 'event_category:"wireless" AND (EAPOL OR NAN) AND (error OR crash OR malformed)'