CVE-2025-47404 Overview
CVE-2025-47404 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting a wide range of Qualcomm chipsets and firmware components. The flaw occurs when the size of a previously allocated buffer is dynamically changed while its contents are being concurrently modified. This race-style condition leads to out-of-bounds writes and buffer overflow conditions. The vulnerability impacts hundreds of Qualcomm products, including Snapdragon mobile platforms, FastConnect Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules, automotive (SA-series) SoCs, modems, and IoT/wearable chipsets. Qualcomm addressed the issue in its May 2026 Security Bulletin.
Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can trigger memory corruption to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in firmware context.
Affected Products
- Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms (4 Gen 1, 6 Gen 4, 7s Gen 3, 8 Gen 2/3, 8+ Gen 2, 865/870/888 5G, and others)
- Qualcomm FastConnect 6200/6700/6800/6900/7800, QCA wireless chipsets, and WCN/WCD audio-connectivity firmware
- Qualcomm automotive (SA8155P, SA8255P, SA8295P, SA8770P, SA9000P), modem-RF (X55/X72/X75), IoT, robotics (RB2/RB5), and XR2 platforms
Discovery Timeline
- CVE-2025-47404 assigned by Qualcomm Product Security
- 2026-05-04 - CVE-2025-47404 published to NVD
- 2026-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database
- May 2026 - Qualcomm publishes the security bulletin with patches
Technical Details for CVE-2025-47404
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from unsafe handling of dynamic buffer resizing in Qualcomm firmware. When code resizes a previously allocated buffer (for example, via realloc-style operations) while another execution context is still writing to the original buffer, the underlying memory layout becomes inconsistent. This produces an out-of-bounds write condition tracked under [CWE-787] and a classic buffer overflow pattern under [CWE-120]. The corruption can overwrite adjacent heap metadata, function pointers, or control structures inside the firmware. Because the affected components run inside trusted execution environments and modem/Wi-Fi subsystems, successful exploitation can compromise the integrity of the entire device.
Root Cause
The defect is a missing synchronization and bounds-tracking guarantee around buffer reallocation. The firmware does not lock the buffer or verify that all in-flight writes have completed before changing the allocation size. As a result, concurrent writers continue to use stale size assumptions and write past the new allocation boundary.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. An attacker running an unprivileged application or a compromised driver on the device must trigger the vulnerable code path that performs the dynamic resize during active modification. The local attack surface includes IPC interfaces, kernel drivers, and userspace clients that interact with affected Qualcomm subsystems such as Wi-Fi, audio, and modem services.
// No verified public proof-of-concept is available for CVE-2025-47404.
// Refer to the Qualcomm May 2026 Security Bulletin for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47404
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes, kernel panics, or subsystem restarts in Qualcomm Wi-Fi, modem, audio, or DSP services
- Firmware watchdog resets or SubSystem Restart (SSR) events on Snapdragon devices without an obvious cause
- Anomalous heap corruption signatures in dmesg or vendor crash dumps referencing affected drivers
Detection Strategies
- Monitor mobile and IoT device fleets for repeated firmware crash reports tied to affected Qualcomm components
- Correlate application install events with subsequent subsystem instability to identify suspicious local triggers
- Audit installed applications and drivers for unsigned or untrusted code that interacts with Qualcomm HAL interfaces
Monitoring Recommendations
- Collect and centralize device crash telemetry, including modem and Wi-Fi firmware logs, for fleet-wide analysis
- Track patch level (Android Security Patch Level / vendor firmware version) across managed devices and alert on devices below the May 2026 baseline
- Enable enterprise mobility management (EMM) policies that block sideloading and restrict installation of untrusted local applications
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47404
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the Qualcomm firmware updates from the May 2026 Security Bulletin via your OEM update channel as soon as they become available
- Inventory all affected Snapdragon, FastConnect, QCA, WCN, WCD, SA-series, and modem-RF components in your environment
- Restrict installation of untrusted local applications on managed mobile, IoT, automotive, and XR devices
Patch Information
Qualcomm has released patches for affected components in its May 2026 Security Bulletin. Device manufacturers must integrate these patches into OEM firmware images and ship them to end users through standard over-the-air update mechanisms. Refer to the Qualcomm Security Bulletin May 2026 for the authoritative list of fixed components.
Workarounds
- No vendor-supplied workaround is published; patching is the only durable remediation
- Enforce least-privilege application policies and disable developer/USB debugging on production devices to reduce local attack surface
- For automotive and IoT deployments, segment affected devices on isolated networks until OEM firmware updates are available
# Example: check Android Security Patch Level on a managed device
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
# Confirm vendor firmware version against the OEM advisory baseline
adb shell getprop ro.vendor.build.fingerprint
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
