CVE-2020-11297
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon WLAN modules allows denial of service attacks due to improper frame subtype validation. Attackers can send specially crafted wireless frames to cause excessive frame dropping, disrupting WLAN functionality. Affected devices include various Snapdragon-based automotive, compute, connectivity, mobile, and IoT platforms.
💻 Affected Systems
- Snapdragon Auto
- Snapdragon Compute
- Snapdragon Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity
- Snapdragon Consumer IOT
- Snapdragon Industrial IOT
- Snapdragon Mobile
- Snapdragon Voice & Music
📦 What is this software?
Sd8c Firmware by Qualcomm
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete WLAN module crash requiring device reboot, disrupting all wireless connectivity including Wi-Fi and potentially Bluetooth depending on chipset integration.
Likely Case
Intermittent wireless connectivity issues, dropped connections, and degraded network performance until system restart.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and wireless intrusion prevention systems monitoring for anomalous frame patterns.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires wireless proximity and ability to craft/send malicious 802.11 frames; no public exploit code available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware updates released February 2021 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/february-2021-bulletin
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Contact device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply Qualcomm-provided firmware patches. 3. Reboot device to load updated WLAN firmware. 4. Verify patch installation through version checks.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WLAN when not needed
allTurn off Wi-Fi/WLAN functionality in devices where wireless connectivity is non-essential
adb shell svc wifi disable
iwconfig wlan0 down
nmcli radio wifi off
Implement wireless intrusion prevention
allDeploy WIPS to detect and block malicious 802.11 frame patterns
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment wireless networks to limit attack surface
- Monitor for wireless DoS patterns and anomalous frame rates
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device firmware version against manufacturer's patched versions; examine Qualcomm chipset model and firmware dateCheck Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.fingerprint (Android) or dmesg | grep -i wlan (Linux)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version is post-February 2021; test WLAN stability under normal and stress conditions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Excessive WLAN driver/firmware errors
- Unexpected WLAN disconnections
- High frame drop rates in wireless logs
Network Indicators:
- Anomalous 802.11 frame patterns
- Unusual wireless broadcast/multicast traffic
- WLAN performance degradation
SIEM Query:
source="wireless_logs" AND ("frame drop" OR "WLAN error" OR "driver fault") AND count > threshold