CVE-2025-27057: Qualcomm AR8035 Firmware DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-27057 Overview

CVE-2025-27057 is a transient denial-of-service vulnerability affecting Qualcomm WLAN firmware across a broad range of Snapdragon mobile, automotive, compute, networking, and IoT platforms. The flaw resides in the beacon frame parsing logic, where malformed Information Element (IE) header lengths trigger out-of-bounds reads in the firmware. An unauthenticated attacker within wireless range can transmit crafted 802.11 beacon frames to crash the WLAN subsystem on affected devices. Qualcomm published the issue in its July 2025 security bulletin, and the vulnerability has been mapped to CWE-125 (Out-of-Bounds Read) and CWE-126 (Buffer Over-Read).

Critical Impact
Adjacent attackers can wirelessly induce a transient denial-of-service condition on hundreds of Qualcomm chipsets, disrupting Wi-Fi connectivity on phones, vehicles, access points, and IoT devices without any user interaction.

Affected Products

Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms including Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8 Gen 3, and 8+ Gen 2
Qualcomm FastConnect 6700, 6900, and 7800 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth subsystems
Qualcomm IPQ, QCN, QCA networking and access point firmware families, plus automotive and XR platforms (SA8xxx, SXR, AR1/AR2 Gen 1)

Discovery Timeline

2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-27057 published to NVD
2025-07 - Qualcomm publishes July 2025 Security Bulletin with patch information
2025-09-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-27057

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the WLAN firmware routine that parses 802.11 management frames, specifically beacon frames. Beacon frames carry a sequence of Information Elements (IEs), each prefixed with a one-byte Element ID and a one-byte length field. The affected parser does not adequately validate that the declared IE length stays within the remaining bounds of the frame buffer.

When the firmware processes a beacon frame containing an IE with an invalid header length, the parser reads past the end of the allocated buffer. This out-of-bounds read triggers a fault in the WLAN subsystem and forces a transient denial-of-service condition. Connectivity is restored only after the firmware recovers or the device reinitializes the radio.

Root Cause

The defect is a classic input validation failure in 802.11 frame handling. The firmware trusts the IE length byte supplied by the remote transmitter and dereferences memory based on that untrusted value. Because the parser executes during normal scanning and association activities, no prior authentication or pairing with the malicious access point is required.

Attack Vector

An attacker within wireless range broadcasts crafted beacon frames advertising a rogue SSID. Any vulnerable device that scans the channel parses the beacon and triggers the out-of-bounds read. The attack requires no user interaction, no credentials, and no association with the rogue network. Exploitation is limited to availability impact; the bug does not currently provide a path to code execution or information disclosure.

// Vulnerability described in prose - no verified public proof-of-concept available.
// See the Qualcomm July 2025 Security Bulletin for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27057

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated, unexpected WLAN subsystem crashes, firmware restarts, or wlan driver resets logged in kernel or platform logs.
Sudden loss of Wi-Fi connectivity across multiple devices in the same radio coverage area with no corresponding infrastructure outage.
Anomalous beacon frames in the air containing IEs with length fields that exceed the remaining frame payload.

Detection Strategies

Deploy wireless intrusion detection (WIDS) sensors capable of inspecting beacon frame structure and flagging malformed IE length fields.
Correlate mobile device, vehicle, and access point telemetry for clusters of WLAN firmware restarts that align in time and location.
Monitor endpoint logs for repeated cnss, wlan, or icnss subsystem restart events on Qualcomm-based platforms.

Monitoring Recommendations

Centralize Wi-Fi driver and firmware crash logs from managed endpoints and access points for correlation across the fleet.
Baseline normal beacon activity in monitored environments and alert on bursts of beacons from previously unseen BSSIDs with malformed IEs.
Track Qualcomm security bulletin advisories and map deployed devices to affected chipset families for ongoing exposure visibility.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27057

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the Qualcomm-provided firmware updates as soon as device OEMs distribute them through monthly Android, automotive, or networking patch cycles.
Inventory all Qualcomm-based endpoints, access points, vehicles, and IoT assets against the affected chipset list in the vendor bulletin.
In sensitive environments, restrict device operation to known, controlled Wi-Fi coverage zones until patches are applied.

Patch Information

Qualcomm released fixes as part of the July 2025 Security Bulletin. Downstream OEMs, including Android handset vendors, automotive integrators, and networking equipment manufacturers, must integrate the updated WLAN firmware into their own release trains. Verify the patch level on each device against the OEM's advisory before considering the asset remediated.

Workarounds

Disable Wi-Fi on affected devices in high-risk environments where patched firmware is not yet available.
Limit Wi-Fi scanning by configuring devices to connect only to known SSIDs and disabling background scanning where supported.
Use shielded or controlled RF environments for safety-critical automotive and industrial deployments until firmware updates are validated.

bash

# Example: disable Wi-Fi temporarily on a Linux-based Qualcomm device until firmware is updated
sudo nmcli radio wifi off
# Re-enable after patch deployment
sudo nmcli radio wifi on