CVE-2021-35081 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2021-35081, a possible buffer overflow vulnerability in multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon products that can lead to critical impacts due to improper validation of SSID length.

Understanding CVE-2021-35081

CVE-2021-35081 is a vulnerability found in various Qualcomm products, including Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, and Snapdragon Voice & Music.

What is CVE-2021-35081?

The vulnerability stems from a possible buffer overflow caused by inadequate validation of the SSID length received from beacon or probe responses during an IBSS session in the affected Qualcomm products.

The Impact of CVE-2021-35081

The CVSS base score of 9.8 categorizes this vulnerability as critical. It poses a high risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no privileges required.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-35081

This section delves into the specifics of the vulnerability in terms of its description, affected systems, versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

CVE-2021-35081 represents a buffer overflow risk due to the failure in properly validating the length of SSID data during specific sessions.

Affected Systems and Versions

Multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon products across various versions are impacted by this vulnerability. Some of the affected versions include AQT1000, QCA6564, QCS4290, SD765, SD865 5G, and more.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited through the reception of SSID data from beacon or probe responses during an IBSS session, which triggers the buffer overflow.

Mitigation and Prevention

In this section, we discuss the necessary steps to address CVE-2021-35081 and prevent potential exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users and administrators are advised to apply patches provided by Qualcomm to fix the vulnerability and enhance system security.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing robust network security measures, conducting regular security assessments, and staying updated on vendor security bulletins are crucial for long-term protection.

Patching and Updates

Regularly check for security updates from Qualcomm and promptly apply patches to mitigate the risk of exploitation.