CVE-2025-47378: Qualcomm Cologne Information Disclosure

CVE-2025-47378 Overview

CVE-2025-47378 is a cryptographic vulnerability affecting multiple Qualcomm chipsets and firmware. The vulnerability exists when a shared VM reference allows the High-Level Operating System (HLOS) to boot the loader and access the certificate chain. This exposure of sensitive system data could allow a local attacker with low privileges to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of the affected device.

Critical Impact

This cryptographic flaw enables unauthorized access to certificate chains through improper handling of shared VM references, potentially undermining device security at a fundamental level.

Affected Products

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 865/865+/870 5G Mobile Platforms
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• Qualcomm FastConnect 6700/6800/6900/7800
• Qualcomm SA7255P, SA7775P, SA8255P, SA8620P, SA8770P, SA9000P
• Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2/XR2+ Gen 1 Platforms
• Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1/AR1+ Gen 1 Platforms
• Qualcomm WCD9378C, WCD9380, WCD9385, WCD9395 Audio Codecs
• Qualcomm WCN3950, WCN7860, WCN7861 Wireless Connectivity
• Qualcomm WSA8810, WSA8815, WSA8830, WSA8832, WSA8835, WSA8840, WSA8845 Smart Amplifiers

Discovery Timeline

• March 2, 2026 - CVE-2025-47378 published to NVD
• March 5, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47378

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-497 (Exposure of Sensitive System Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere). The issue stems from how Qualcomm's virtualization architecture handles shared memory references between virtual machines and the High-Level Operating System (HLOS).

In affected configurations, a shared VM reference improperly exposes the boot loader interface to the HLOS layer. This architectural weakness allows an authenticated local attacker to access the certificate chain that should remain protected within the secure execution environment. The certificate chain is a critical component of the device's chain of trust, used to verify the authenticity and integrity of firmware and software during the boot process.

The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges to exploit, meaning an attacker would need some level of authenticated access to the device. However, no user interaction is required for exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper isolation between the shared VM reference and the HLOS boot loader interface. The cryptographic implementation fails to adequately protect the certificate chain from being accessed through the shared memory reference, violating the expected security boundary between the secure and non-secure execution environments.

This represents a fundamental flaw in the trust zone architecture where sensitive cryptographic assets stored in the secure world become accessible to the normal world operating system through the shared VM memory mapping.

Attack Vector

An attacker with local access and low-level privileges on an affected device can exploit this vulnerability through the following attack chain:

1. The attacker gains authenticated access to the device (requires local access with low privileges)
2. Through the shared VM reference, the attacker accesses the boot loader interface from the HLOS
3. The attacker extracts the certificate chain that should be protected
4. With access to the certificate chain, the attacker can potentially forge signatures, bypass secure boot verification, or compromise the device's chain of trust

The attack does not require user interaction and can impact the confidentiality and integrity of the system, though availability is not directly affected.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47378

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected access patterns to shared VM memory regions from HLOS processes
• Anomalous boot loader interface calls originating from unprivileged contexts
• Attempts to read certificate chain data from processes that should not have access
• Unusual memory mapping requests targeting secure world regions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for abnormal IPC calls between HLOS and secure execution environments
• Implement logging for all access attempts to certificate chain storage
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions that monitor for privilege escalation attempts targeting boot components
• Utilize SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect anomalous memory access patterns in firmware components

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for virtualization and secure world interactions
• Monitor system calls related to shared memory operations and VM references
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on boot-related components and certificate stores
• Implement alerting on any attempts to access or export certificate chain data

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47378

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply firmware updates from Qualcomm and device OEMs as soon as they become available
• Review and audit all devices using affected Qualcomm chipsets in your environment
• Restrict physical access to affected devices where possible
• Monitor affected systems for signs of compromise until patches are applied

Patch Information

Qualcomm has addressed this vulnerability in their March 2026 Security Bulletin. Device manufacturers (OEMs) will need to incorporate these patches into their own firmware updates and distribute them to end users.

Organizations should:

• Contact device OEMs for specific patch availability timelines
• Prioritize patching devices with sensitive data or critical roles
• Test patches in non-production environments before widespread deployment

Workarounds

• Limit local access to affected devices to only trusted users and administrators
• Implement additional access controls and authentication mechanisms
• Isolate affected devices from critical network segments until patches are available
• Consider enhanced monitoring and logging as a compensating control

# Verify firmware version on Android devices (example)
adb shell getprop ro.build.fingerprint
adb shell getprop ro.board.platform
# Check against Qualcomm security bulletin for vulnerable versions