External risk intelligence

Qualcomm Chipsets Use-After-Free Vulnerability.

CVE advisoryKnown Exploit

CVE-2022-22071

Qualcomm chipsets are affected by a use-after-free vulnerability during process initialization. This can lead to unauthorized access and modification of data, potentially impacting system integrity and creating business risk. Organizations should review vendor advisories for mitigation guidance.

1Halo Surface Signal

Use After Free

Qualcomm Apq8053 Firmware

External exposure likelihood

Halo Surface Signal score for CVE-2022-22071

This vulnerability resides within firmware components of various Qualcomm chipsets. It is a low-level, local memory management issue triggered by internal system calls (IOCTL) during process initialization. It lacks any inherent network-facing or internet-exposed attack surface in standard deployments.

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

A vulnerability exists within certain Qualcomm chipsets that could allow an attacker to compromise system integrity. This flaw stems from an issue with how memory is managed during specific operational processes, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or modification. The affected systems include a wide range of Qualcomm products used in various computing, mobile, and IoT devices.

  • Vulnerable Qualcomm chipsets
  • Memory management flaw
  • Potential data compromise

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

This vulnerability exists within Qualcomm chipsets. It occurs during process initialization when specific memory is freed. An attacker could leverage this condition to gain control.

  • Local access required
  • Trigger memory operation
  • Gain system control

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability in Qualcomm chipsets could allow unauthorized access to sensitive information or disrupt system operations. An attacker with local access to a device could potentially exploit this weakness. The potential for high impact means organizations should prioritize addressing this issue.

  • Attacker requires local access.
  • Exploitation difficulty is low.
  • High business risk and urgency.

Priority actions

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This vulnerability in Qualcomm chipsets could allow an attacker with local access to impact system integrity and confidentiality. The issue involves a use-after-free condition during process initialization. Organizations using affected Qualcomm chipsets should investigate and implement vendor-provided solutions to mitigate potential risks.

  • Identify affected Qualcomm chipsets.
  • Isolate or mitigate exposure.
  • Apply vendor fixes and verify.
  • Monitor for related security events.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-22071 and which Qualcomm chipsets are affected?

CVE-2022-22071 is a use-after-free vulnerability affecting various Qualcomm chipsets. These chipsets are integrated into product lines such as Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Consumer and Industrial IoT, Mobile, and Voice & Music. The vulnerability was identified in firmware components during process initialization when shell memory is freed via an IOCTL munmap call.

What type of weakness does CVE-2022-22071 represent?

CVE-2022-22071 is classified as a 'Use After Free' (CWE-416) weakness. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program attempts to access memory after that memory has already been deallocated. This can lead to program instability, unexpected behavior, or the potential for malicious code execution.

How is CVE-2022-22071 triggered and what is its scope?

The vulnerability is triggered during process initialization when memory is freed using an IOCTL munmap call. The impact of this vulnerability is localized to the affected system, with no changes in security scope ('S:U'). Exploitation requires local system access and does not necessitate any privileges or user interaction.

What is the relevance of CVE-2022-22071, and has it been exploited?

This vulnerability is considered highly relevant due to its potential for high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It has been listed on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating that it has been actively exploited by threat actors. Qualcomm has released patches for this vulnerability.

What are the recommended actions for addressing CVE-2022-22071?

The recommended action is to apply security updates and mitigations provided by Qualcomm as soon as possible. If remediation or mitigations are not available for a specific product, discontinuing its use is advised. Organizations should investigate their specific environments to understand the extent of their exposure.

References