CVE-2025-21479: Qualcomm Aqt1000 Firmware RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-21479 Overview

CVE-2025-21479 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting Qualcomm GPU firmware across a wide range of Snapdragon mobile platforms and related chipsets. The vulnerability arises from unauthorized command execution within the GPU micronode when processing specific sequences of commands. This flaw enables an attacker to trigger memory corruption, potentially leading to code execution, privilege escalation, or system compromise on affected devices.

Given the widespread use of Qualcomm chipsets in smartphones, tablets, AR/VR devices, and compute platforms, this vulnerability poses significant risk to billions of devices globally. The vulnerability requires local access with user interaction, but the scope extends beyond the vulnerable component, making successful exploitation particularly dangerous.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Immediate patching is strongly recommended for all affected devices.

Affected Products

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 2 Mobile Platforms
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 888+, 865, 865+, 870, 855, 855+/860 5G Mobile Platforms
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, 778G+, 782G, 720G, 695, 690, 680, 685, 662, 480, 480+, 460 Mobile Platforms
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, 7c+ Gen 3 Compute Platforms
• Qualcomm FastConnect 6200, 6700, 6800, 6900, 7800 Connectivity Chipsets
• Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform, Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System
• Qualcomm WCD/WCN/WSA Audio and Connectivity Chipset Series (WCD9341, WCD9370-9395, WCN3950-7881, WSA8810-8845H)
• Qualcomm SXR2230P, SXR2250P, SXR2330P Extended Reality Platforms

Discovery Timeline

• June 3, 2025 - CVE-2025-21479 published to NVD
• October 28, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-21479

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), which indicates that the GPU micronode fails to properly verify authorization before executing commands. The flaw allows specific command sequences to bypass security checks, resulting in memory corruption within the GPU subsystem.

The vulnerability requires local access to the device and user interaction to exploit, but successful exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component's security scope. An attacker who can execute commands against the GPU micronode can leverage this flaw to corrupt memory regions, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges within the GPU context.

The impact extends to confidentiality, integrity, and availability—all rated as high impact. Given that this vulnerability affects the GPU firmware layer, exploitation could allow attackers to escape sandboxing mechanisms, access sensitive data being processed by the GPU (including cryptographic operations), or cause system instability.

Root Cause

The root cause is an authorization failure (CWE-863) in the GPU micronode's command processing pipeline. The firmware does not adequately validate the authorization context when executing certain command sequences, allowing unauthorized operations to proceed. This insufficient authorization check enables attackers to issue privileged commands that should normally be restricted, leading to memory corruption.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to have either direct access to the device or the ability to execute code locally (such as through a malicious application). User interaction is required to trigger the vulnerable code path.

An attacker would need to craft a specific sequence of GPU commands that exploits the authorization bypass. When the GPU micronode processes this command sequence, it fails to properly validate permissions, resulting in memory corruption. The sequence-dependent nature of this vulnerability suggests that timing or ordering of commands plays a crucial role in triggering the flaw.

Due to the firmware-level nature of this vulnerability, exploitation likely involves direct interaction with GPU driver interfaces or through applications that can submit GPU workloads. Mobile malware or malicious applications with GPU access permissions could potentially leverage this vulnerability.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-21479

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected GPU driver crashes or kernel panics related to GPU subsystems
• Anomalous GPU memory access patterns or allocation failures in system logs
• Applications exhibiting unusual GPU command submission behavior
• System instability or freezes when running GPU-intensive workloads
• Evidence of unauthorized processes accessing GPU driver interfaces

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs for GPU-related errors, particularly memory corruption or access violation messages
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect applications submitting unusual sequences of GPU commands
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of monitoring low-level GPU driver interactions
• Audit installed applications for suspicious GPU access permissions or behaviors
• Review Android/device security patch levels to identify unpatched systems

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose GPU driver logging where supported to capture command sequences
• Implement centralized logging for mobile device fleet management to identify patterns of exploitation
• Monitor for known exploit signatures if threat intelligence becomes available
• Track CISA KEV catalog updates for additional guidance on this vulnerability
• Deploy mobile threat defense solutions that can detect firmware-level anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-21479

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the Qualcomm security patch from the June 2025 Security Bulletin immediately
• For Android devices, ensure the latest OEM security updates are installed
• Restrict installation of applications from unknown or untrusted sources
• Review and limit GPU access permissions for installed applications
• Monitor CISA KEV recommendations and enforce any mandatory remediation timelines

Patch Information

Qualcomm has released patches addressing this vulnerability as part of the Qualcomm June 2025 Security Bulletin. Device manufacturers (OEMs) integrate these patches into their respective device firmware updates. End users should check for and apply security updates from their device manufacturer or carrier.

For enterprise environments managing mobile fleets, coordinate with your MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution to push updates and verify patch compliance. This vulnerability is tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, which may impose specific remediation deadlines for federal agencies and is recommended as guidance for private organizations.

Workarounds

• Limit application installation to trusted sources (official app stores) to reduce the risk of malicious applications exploiting this vulnerability
• Implement application sandboxing and restrict GPU access for untrusted applications where platform controls allow
• For enterprise deployments, use mobile threat defense solutions to detect and block exploitation attempts
• Consider device isolation or restricted network access for unpatched devices until updates can be applied
• Monitor Qualcomm and device manufacturer advisories for additional mitigation guidance

# Check Android Security Patch Level on affected devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
# Output should show June 2025 or later for remediated devices

# Query device chipset information
adb shell getprop ro.board.platform
# Cross-reference with affected product list to determine vulnerability status