CVE-2025-47338 Overview
CVE-2025-47338 is a memory corruption vulnerability in multiple Qualcomm chipsets and firmware components. The flaw occurs when the affected driver processes escape commands originating from userspace. A local, authenticated attacker with low privileges can trigger the condition to corrupt kernel-adjacent memory, leading to loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Qualcomm published the issue in its October 2025 Security Bulletin and mapped it to [CWE-822: Untrusted Pointer Dereference]. The vulnerability affects a wide range of connectivity and audio SoCs, including FastConnect 6900, FastConnect 7800, and multiple WCD and WSA audio codecs.
Critical Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can corrupt memory through crafted escape commands, enabling potential privilege escalation and full compromise of the affected device.
Affected Products
- Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 and FastConnect 7800 firmware
- Qualcomm SC8380XP, QCC2072, WCD9378C, WCD9380, and WCD9385 firmware
- Qualcomm WSA8840, WSA8845, WSA8845H, and the X2000077–X2000094 and XG101002–XG101039 firmware lines
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-10-09 - CVE-2025-47338 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-47338
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the code path that handles escape commands submitted from userspace to a Qualcomm kernel-mode component. Escape commands are vendor-defined control messages typically used to invoke driver-specific operations outside the standard IOCTL interface. When the driver processes these commands, it dereferences a pointer or parameter supplied by userspace without adequate validation. This leads to memory corruption in the driver's address space.
Because exploitation requires only local access with low privileges and no user interaction, an attacker who already has code execution on the device can escalate privileges. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at the kernel or firmware layer.
Root Cause
The root cause is classified as [CWE-822: Untrusted Pointer Dereference]. The driver accepts a pointer or offset provided by an unprivileged caller and uses it directly during escape command processing. The absence of bounds and pointer validation allows attacker-controlled values to reach memory access primitives inside the driver.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local. An attacker executes a malicious application or process on the target device and issues crafted escape commands to the vulnerable Qualcomm driver interface. No user interaction is required, and the scope remains unchanged, meaning the compromise stays within the vulnerable component's security boundary. No public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for CVE-2025-47338.
See the Qualcomm Security Bulletin October 2025 for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47338
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected kernel panics, driver crashes, or system reboots referencing Qualcomm connectivity or audio drivers.
- Userspace processes without legitimate need issuing frequent escape or IOCTL calls to Qualcomm driver device nodes.
- Anomalous privilege escalation events on Android or Windows-on-Snapdragon systems using affected chipsets.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for non-system processes opening handles to Qualcomm driver device interfaces.
- Correlate crash dumps and kernel logs with process execution history to identify likely exploitation attempts.
- Baseline normal driver interaction patterns and alert on outliers, particularly from newly installed or unsigned applications.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest kernel and driver crash telemetry into a centralized data lake for retrospective hunting.
- Track firmware and driver versions across the fleet to identify unpatched devices exposed to CVE-2025-47338.
- Alert on privilege escalation chains that follow abnormal driver interactions.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47338
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the firmware and driver updates referenced in the Qualcomm Security Bulletin October 2025 as soon as OEMs make them available.
- Inventory all endpoints and mobile devices using the affected FastConnect, WCD, WSA, and Snapdragon compute platforms.
- Restrict installation of untrusted applications on devices running vulnerable firmware, since exploitation requires local code execution.
Patch Information
Qualcomm addressed CVE-2025-47338 in the October 2025 Security Bulletin. Downstream OEMs, including Android device manufacturers and Windows-on-Snapdragon vendors, must integrate the patched drivers and firmware into their respective update channels. Administrators should confirm that shipped patches include the fixes for CWE-822 in the escape command handler.
Workarounds
- No official workaround exists; apply the vendor patch through the responsible OEM update channel.
- Enforce application allowlisting and least-privilege policies to reduce the number of local processes that could reach the vulnerable driver.
- Disable or block third-party sideloading on managed mobile fleets until affected devices receive updated firmware.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
