CVE-2020-11274
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows denial of service attacks on Qualcomm Snapdragon modems due to improper handling of invalid configurations. When exploited, it causes the modem to crash via an assertion failure, disrupting cellular connectivity. Affected devices include various Snapdragon-powered automotive, compute, connectivity, consumer IoT, industrial IoT, and mobile platforms.
💻 Affected Systems
- Snapdragon Auto
- Snapdragon Compute
- Snapdragon Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer IOT
- Snapdragon Industrial IOT
- Snapdragon Mobile
📦 What is this software?
Sd8c Firmware by Qualcomm
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete loss of cellular connectivity requiring device reboot, potentially disrupting critical communications in automotive or industrial systems.
Likely Case
Temporary cellular service disruption affecting voice, data, and SMS capabilities until modem restarts.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if patched; unpatched devices remain vulnerable to targeted attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending malformed configuration to modem, likely via baseband interface. No public exploit code available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware updates via May 2021 security bulletin
Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/may-2021-bulletin
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check with device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply Qualcomm-provided modem firmware patches. 3. Reboot device to activate new firmware.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network filtering
allImplement network-level filtering to block malformed cellular packets if possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices from untrusted cellular networks when possible
- Implement monitoring for modem crash/restart events
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device firmware version against manufacturer's patched versions; modem crash logs may indicate exploitation.Check Version:
Device-specific commands vary by manufacturer; typically via Android settings or manufacturer diagnostic tools.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify modem firmware version matches patched release from manufacturer.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Modem crash/restart events
- Baseband assertion failures
- Unexpected modem resets
Network Indicators:
- Unusual cellular protocol anomalies
- Malformed configuration packets
SIEM Query:
Search for modem crash events or baseband subsystem failures in device logs