CVE-2025-47379: Qualcomm Sa8295p Race Condition Flaw

CVE-2025-47379 Overview

CVE-2025-47379 is a Use-After-Free memory corruption vulnerability affecting a wide range of Qualcomm chipset firmware. The vulnerability arises when concurrent access to a shared buffer occurs due to improper synchronization between assignment and deallocation of buffer resources. This race condition can lead to memory corruption, potentially allowing an attacker with local access and low privileges to achieve code execution, data corruption, or system instability.

Critical Impact

A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability to corrupt memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or denial of service across affected Qualcomm mobile platforms, automotive systems, IoT devices, and wireless connectivity modules.

Affected Products

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G Mobile Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Firmware
• Qualcomm SA8295P Automotive Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm Robotics RB5 Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 5G Platform Firmware
• Qualcomm WCN3988/WCN3990 Connectivity Firmware
• Qualcomm QCA6696 WiFi/Bluetooth Firmware

Discovery Timeline

• March 2, 2026 - CVE-2025-47379 published to NVD
• March 5, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47379

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a memory corruption condition that occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of CVE-2025-47379, the vulnerability manifests in shared buffer handling where improper synchronization between concurrent threads or processes leads to a race condition.

When multiple execution contexts attempt to access a shared buffer simultaneously, one context may deallocate the buffer while another context still holds a reference to it. The second context then operates on freed memory, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited for malicious purposes.

The local attack vector requires an attacker to have some level of access to the affected device. On mobile platforms, this could be achieved through a malicious application. On automotive or IoT systems, physical or network access to the device may be required. The vulnerability does not require user interaction to exploit.

Successful exploitation could enable an attacker to read or write arbitrary memory locations, execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected process, escalate privileges on the system, or cause a denial of service condition.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper synchronization primitives in the firmware code that manages shared buffer resources. When buffer assignment and deallocation operations are not properly synchronized using appropriate locking mechanisms (such as mutexes, spinlocks, or atomic operations), a Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) race condition can occur.

The firmware fails to implement proper reference counting or memory barriers to ensure that buffer deallocation only occurs when all references to the buffer have been released. This allows one thread to free the buffer while another thread still maintains an active pointer to the memory region.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2025-47379 requires local access to the affected device. An attacker must be able to execute code on the target system to trigger the race condition. The exploitation process involves:

1. The attacker identifies a code path where concurrent access to the vulnerable shared buffer occurs
2. The attacker crafts a timing attack to trigger simultaneous access from multiple threads or processes
3. By carefully controlling the timing, the attacker causes one thread to deallocate the buffer while another thread attempts to use it
4. The use-after-free condition allows the attacker to corrupt memory, potentially overwriting critical data structures or function pointers
5. If function pointers or return addresses are overwritten, the attacker may achieve arbitrary code execution

The vulnerability mechanism centers on the race condition between buffer assignment and deallocation operations. When Thread A allocates and assigns a buffer, Thread B may simultaneously attempt to free it before Thread A completes its operations. Alternatively, after Thread A frees the buffer, the memory allocator may reassign this region to Thread B for a different purpose, and Thread A's subsequent access to the "freed" pointer corrupts Thread B's data. See the Qualcomm March 2026 Security Bulletin for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47379

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes or kernel panics on devices running affected Qualcomm chipsets, particularly during high-concurrency operations
• Memory corruption errors in system logs related to wireless connectivity, audio processing, or modem operations
• Abnormal behavior in firmware-dependent subsystems such as WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular modem
• Evidence of memory access violations or segmentation faults in device debug logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement firmware version monitoring to identify devices running vulnerable Qualcomm chipset firmware versions
• Deploy runtime memory corruption detection tools on development and test devices to identify use-after-free conditions
• Monitor device stability metrics and crash reports for patterns indicative of memory corruption exploitation
• Utilize Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to audit firmware versions across device fleets

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed system logging on critical infrastructure devices using affected Qualcomm platforms
• Implement anomaly detection for unusual crash patterns or memory errors on mobile and IoT devices
• Establish baseline behavior metrics for device stability and monitor for deviations that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Integrate device firmware inventory management with vulnerability scanning to track exposure

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47379

Immediate Actions Required

• Review the Qualcomm March 2026 Security Bulletin to determine specific patch availability for your affected products
• Prioritize firmware updates for devices in critical environments, including automotive systems and enterprise mobile deployments
• Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable IoT and embedded devices
• Restrict local access and application installation privileges on affected mobile devices where possible

Patch Information

Qualcomm has addressed this vulnerability in their March 2026 Security Bulletin. Firmware updates are being distributed through OEM partners for mobile devices, and direct updates may be available for automotive and IoT platforms. Device manufacturers and OEMs should reference the security bulletin to obtain patched firmware versions for their specific products.

Organizations should work with their device vendors and OEMs to obtain patched firmware versions. For mobile devices, security updates are typically delivered through Android or device-specific update mechanisms. For automotive and IoT platforms, contact Qualcomm or your device manufacturer for remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Limit installation of untrusted applications on affected mobile devices to reduce the risk of local exploitation
• Implement application sandboxing and permission restrictions to minimize the attack surface for local privilege escalation
• For IoT and embedded systems, restrict physical and network access to trusted personnel and networks
• Monitor affected devices for signs of exploitation while awaiting firmware updates

# Check device firmware version on Android devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.fingerprint
adb shell getprop ro.board.platform

# List Qualcomm-specific firmware versions
adb shell cat /sys/devices/soc0/soc_id
adb shell cat /sys/class/remoteproc/*/firmware