CVE-2021-35090 : What You Need to Know

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2021-35090, a critical vulnerability impacting multiple Qualcomm products and versions.

Understanding CVE-2021-35090

CVE-2021-35090 involves possible hypervisor memory corruption due to a TOC TOU race condition in various Qualcomm products, including Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Industrial IOT, and Mobile.

What is CVE-2021-35090?

The vulnerability arises from a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the kernel of affected Qualcomm devices, potentially leading to memory corruption.

The Impact of CVE-2021-35090

With a CVSS base score of 9.3, this critical vulnerability has a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Attackers can exploit this flaw locally without requiring any special privileges.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-35090

The vulnerability is characterized by a low attack complexity and vector, high availability impact, and severe confidentiality and integrity consequences.

Vulnerability Description

The TOCTOU race condition in the kernel could allow malicious actors to corrupt hypervisor memory, posing a significant security risk to the affected devices.

Affected Systems and Versions

Qualcomm products such as Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Industrial IOT, and Mobile are impacted across multiple versions listed in the vendor's security bulletin.

Exploitation Mechanism

Malicious entities could take advantage of the race condition to manipulate address mappings during hypervisor memory updates, potentially leading to memory corruption.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2021-35090, immediate steps should be taken to reduce the risk of exploitation and prevent further security incidents.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to apply security patches and updates provided by Qualcomm to mitigate the vulnerability and enhance device security.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing robust security protocols, monitoring for suspicious activities, and staying informed about security bulletins are key to maintaining long-term device security.

Patching and Updates

Regularly check for firmware updates and security patches from Qualcomm to address known vulnerabilities and enhance the security posture of the affected devices.