CVE-2020-11251
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-11251 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets that allows attackers to read memory beyond allocated buffers when processing DTMF payloads. This affects numerous Qualcomm-powered devices across automotive, mobile, IoT, and wearable platforms. Attackers could potentially leak sensitive information or cause denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Snapdragon Auto
- Snapdragon Compute
- Snapdragon Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer IOT
- Snapdragon Industrial IOT
- Snapdragon IoT
- Snapdragon Mobile
- Snapdragon Voice & Music
- Snapdragon Wearables
📦 What is this software?
Sd8c Firmware by Qualcomm
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Information disclosure leading to exposure of sensitive data, potential privilege escalation, or device crash/DoS affecting critical systems like automotive or industrial IoT.
Likely Case
Information disclosure allowing attackers to read adjacent memory contents, potentially exposing device information or user data.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and access controls limiting exposure to vulnerable components.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted DTMF payloads to vulnerable components, but specific exploit details are not publicly documented.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Varies by device manufacturer - check with OEM for specific firmware updates
Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/april-2021-bulletin
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check with device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply Qualcomm-provided patches through OEM firmware updates. 3. Reboot device after update. 4. Verify patch installation through version checks.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network segmentation
allIsolate affected devices from untrusted networks to prevent exploitation attempts
Disable vulnerable services
linuxIf possible, disable DTMF processing or related telephony services on affected devices
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit communication with affected devices
- Monitor for unusual DTMF-related traffic or memory access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device chipset version and firmware against Qualcomm advisory. Use 'getprop ro.bootloader' or similar commands on Android devices to check firmware version.Check Version:
Android: 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or 'getprop ro.bootloader'. Linux: Check kernel/driver versions specific to Snapdragon chipset.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version has been updated to manufacturer-provided patched version. Check for security patch level in device settings.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- Memory access violation logs
- DTMF processing errors
- Unexpected device reboots
Network Indicators:
- Unusual DTMF payload patterns
- Suspicious telephony-related network traffic to affected devices
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'kernel panic' OR 'segmentation fault' OR 'out of bounds' AND device_model contains 'Snapdragon'