CVE-2020-3686 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Possible memory out of bound issue during music playback in various Qualcomm Snapdragon products.

Understanding CVE-2020-3686

What is CVE-2020-3686?

This CVE describes a vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon products that could lead to a memory out-of-bounds issue during music playback.

The Impact of CVE-2020-3686

The vulnerability could potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service by an attacker with local access.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-3686

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises when an incorrect bit stream content is copied into an array without verifying the array's length in multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon products.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: Qualcomm, Inc.
Products: Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking
Versions: APQ8009, APQ8009W, APQ8017, and many more

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability occurs due to a lack of proper input size validation during music playback, allowing an attacker to manipulate the bit stream content.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by Qualcomm to address the vulnerability.
Monitor Qualcomm's security bulletins for updates and advisories.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update the firmware and software of affected Qualcomm products.
Implement secure coding practices to prevent buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Refer to Qualcomm's security bulletins for specific patches and updates related to CVE-2020-3686.