CVE-2025-27042 Overview
CVE-2025-27042 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting a broad range of Qualcomm chipsets and firmware. The flaw resides in the video subsystem and is triggered while processing video packets received from video firmware. Qualcomm disclosed the issue in its July 2025 Security Bulletin, and it is tracked under CWE-131: Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size. Successful exploitation can lead to memory corruption in a privileged context on affected Snapdragon mobile, automotive, IoT, compute, and networking platforms.
Critical Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can corrupt kernel or firmware-adjacent memory, resulting in compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected Qualcomm devices.
Affected Products
- Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms (including Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/2/3, 888, 865, 855, 480/460/439)
- Qualcomm automotive and robotics platforms (SA8155P, SA8295P, SA8775P, Flight RB5 5G, Robotics RB5)
- Qualcomm connectivity and IoT firmware (FastConnect 6200-7800, WCN3xxx/6xxx/7xxx, IPQ5xxx-9xxx, QCN series, 315 5G IoT Modem)
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-27042 published to NVD
- July 2025 - Qualcomm publishes fix in the Qualcomm Security Bulletin July 2025
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-27042
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability lies in how the video subsystem parses and processes packets received from video firmware. Under CWE-131, the software incorrectly calculates the size of a buffer needed to hold data from the firmware channel. When the size calculation is wrong, subsequent read or write operations can extend beyond the intended memory region, producing memory corruption.
Because the video firmware runs in a trusted context on Qualcomm SoCs, host-side code that consumes its packets typically executes at kernel or system service privilege. Corrupting memory in that context can be leveraged to escalate privileges, disrupt device operation, or disclose sensitive data resident in adjacent buffers.
Root Cause
The root cause is an incorrect buffer size calculation in the video packet processing path. A miscomputed length field, missing bounds check, or unchecked arithmetic when handling firmware-supplied packet metadata allows the driver to allocate or index buffers using attacker-influenced values.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. An attacker who can influence video-related data paths on the device — for example, through a malicious application interacting with the video codec or camera pipeline — can craft input that reaches the vulnerable video packet handler. When the malformed data is processed, the resulting memory corruption can be steered toward code execution or persistent tampering within the video/firmware bridge.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is available, and the issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27042
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes, kernel panics, or SIGSEGV faults originating from video driver components or media services
- Repeated restarts of video/codec services after invoking specific applications that exercise the video pipeline
- Firmware error logs referencing malformed video packets or buffer allocation failures
Detection Strategies
- Inventory Qualcomm-based mobile, automotive, and IoT assets and compare installed firmware/patch levels against the July 2025 Qualcomm Security Bulletin baseline
- Monitor device telemetry for anomalous behavior in media, camera, and codec processes, especially unsigned or sideloaded applications invoking video APIs
- Correlate crash dumps from affected drivers with recently installed third-party applications to identify potential exploitation attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest mobile and IoT device logs into a centralized analytics platform to identify clusters of video-subsystem crashes across the fleet
- Track OEM firmware update rollout status to ensure all Snapdragon-based devices receive the vendor patch
- Alert on installation of applications requesting broad media, camera, or codec permissions on managed devices
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27042
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the firmware update referenced in the Qualcomm Security Bulletin July 2025 as soon as OEM builds are available
- Coordinate with device OEMs and carriers to confirm that the Qualcomm-supplied patch is included in their next scheduled Android or platform security update
- Restrict installation of untrusted applications on affected devices until patches are deployed
Patch Information
Qualcomm addressed CVE-2025-27042 in its July 2025 Security Bulletin. Because the fix ships in firmware, remediation depends on downstream OEMs (mobile handset makers, automotive integrators, and IoT vendors) integrating the updated Qualcomm components into their device-specific images. Consult the Qualcomm Security Bulletin July 2025 for the complete list of affected chipsets and fixed versions.
Workarounds
- Enforce application allow-listing through mobile device management (MDM) to limit exposure to malicious local applications
- Disable or restrict use of non-essential video and camera applications on high-value devices until firmware updates are applied
- Isolate vulnerable IoT and automotive devices on segmented networks to reduce the impact of a local compromise
# Verify Android security patch level on managed devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
# Example MDM policy check: enumerate installed packages with camera/media permissions
adb shell pm list packages -g | grep -Ei 'camera|media|video'
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
