CVE-2022-25696 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2022-25696, a memory corruption vulnerability in Qualcomm products that leads to a time-of-check time-of-use race condition.

Understanding CVE-2022-25696

CVE-2022-25696 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting multiple Qualcomm products due to a memory corruption issue in display, leading to a time-of-check time-of-use race condition during map or unmap operations.

What is CVE-2022-25696?

The CVE-2022-25696 vulnerability arises from memory corruption in display functions within various Qualcomm products. The flaw allows an attacker to exploit a time-of-check time-of-use race condition, potentially leading to unauthorized access or manipulation of sensitive data.

The Impact of CVE-2022-25696

This vulnerability has a high severity score (CVSS base score of 8.4) with significant implications. It can result in high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, even though privileges are not required for exploitation. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Qualcomm products used across different sectors.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-25696

The technical details of CVE-2022-25696 include:

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability involves a memory corruption issue in display functions, allowing threat actors to manipulate the race condition during map or unmap operations.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects a broad spectrum of Qualcomm products, including Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, and more, across multiple versions. The extensive list of affected versions includes various Snapdragon processors and communication modules.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting CVE-2022-25696 requires a local attack vector and presents a low attack complexity. The absence of user interaction and required privileges makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for affected systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2022-25696, consider the following mitigation strategies:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by Qualcomm promptly to address the vulnerability.
Implement access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent potential exploits.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and firmware of Qualcomm products to ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and remediate potential weaknesses proactively.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Qualcomm and apply updates as soon as they are released to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2022-25696.