CVE-2020-11156 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A buffer over-read issue in Bluetooth estack affecting multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon products.

Understanding CVE-2020-11156

What is CVE-2020-11156?

The vulnerability is an improper input validation in the Bluetooth SOC of various Qualcomm Snapdragon products, leading to a buffer over-read issue.

The Impact of CVE-2020-11156

The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit Bluetooth connections, potentially leading to information disclosure or denial of service.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-11156

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises due to a lack of validation for the length of L2cap packets received from a peer device in the Bluetooth estack.

Affected Systems and Versions

Products: Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Consumer IOT, Industrial IOT, Mobile, Voice & Music, Wired Infrastructure and Networking
Versions: QCA6390, QCN7605, QCS404, SA415M, SA515M, SC8180X, SDX55, SM8250

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can send specially crafted Bluetooth packets to exploit the lack of length validation, causing a buffer over-read.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by Qualcomm to address the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unusual Bluetooth activity on affected devices.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update firmware and software on Qualcomm Snapdragon devices.
Implement network segmentation to isolate Bluetooth devices from critical systems.

Patching and Updates

Qualcomm has released patches to fix the vulnerability. Ensure all affected devices are updated with the latest firmware.