CVE-2024-33055
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to cause memory corruption by making specific IOCTL calls to unmap DMA buffers in Qualcomm components. It affects systems using vulnerable Qualcomm chipsets and drivers, potentially allowing local privilege escalation or denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Qualcomm chipsets and associated drivers
📦 What is this software?
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Firmware by Qualcomm
View all CVEs affecting Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Firmware →
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Firmware by Qualcomm
View all CVEs affecting Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Firmware →
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Firmware by Qualcomm
View all CVEs affecting Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Firmware →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation to kernel-level access, allowing complete system compromise, data theft, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local denial of service through system crashes or instability, potentially leading to data loss or service disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper access controls preventing unauthorized users from making IOCTL calls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to make specific IOCTL calls; memory corruption vulnerabilities can be complex to exploit reliably.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Qualcomm January 2025 security bulletin for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/january-2025-bulletin.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check Qualcomm advisory for affected chipset/driver versions. 2. Obtain updated firmware/drivers from device manufacturer. 3. Apply patches following manufacturer instructions. 4. Reboot system to load patched components.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict IOCTL access
linuxLimit access to vulnerable IOCTL interfaces using SELinux/AppArmor policies or kernel module restrictions
# Example SELinux policy to restrict ioctl access
# require specific policy development for target system
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized users from making IOCTL calls
- Monitor system logs for unusual IOCTL activity and implement application whitelisting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Qualcomm chipset/driver versions against January 2025 bulletin; examine system for vulnerable IOCTL interfacesCheck Version:
# Check Qualcomm driver versions: dmesg | grep -i qualcomm OR check /sys/class/... vendor-specific pathsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify updated Qualcomm driver/firmware versions match patched versions in advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual IOCTL calls to DMA-related interfaces
- Kernel panic or crash logs mentioning memory corruption
- Failed DMA operations in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Not network exploitable; focus on local system monitoring
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("IOCTL" OR "DMA") AND ("corruption" OR "panic" OR "oops")