CVE-2025-47408 Overview
CVE-2025-47408 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting multiple Qualcomm chipsets and firmware components. The flaw occurs when another kernel driver calls an IOCTL (I/O control) handler with an invalid input or output buffer, leading to memory corruption inside the affected driver. The issue is classified under CWE-822 (Untrusted Pointer Dereference) and CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer). Qualcomm disclosed the vulnerability in its May 2026 Security Bulletin, covering Snapdragon, FastConnect, and audio codec product families.
Critical Impact
A locally authenticated attacker who can interact with a kernel driver capable of issuing crafted IOCTL calls may trigger memory corruption that compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device.
Affected Products
- Qualcomm FastConnect 6200, 6900, and 7800 firmware
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute, 7c Gen 2 Compute, XR2 5G, and XR2+ Gen 1 firmware
- Qualcomm SC8380XP, SD865 5G, SM6250, IQX5121, IQX7181, QCA0000, WCD9380/9385, and WSA8810/8815/8840/8845/8845H firmware
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-05-04 - CVE-2025-47408 published to NVD
- 2026-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database
- May 2026 - Qualcomm publishes security bulletin and patches
Technical Details for CVE-2025-47408
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in an IOCTL handler exposed by an affected Qualcomm kernel driver. When a second driver invokes that handler and passes an invalid input or output buffer pointer or size, the receiving driver fails to fully validate the buffer before dereferencing it. The result is memory corruption in kernel context. Because the call originates from another kernel-mode component, the buffer is implicitly trusted by the target driver, bypassing user-to-kernel validation that would normally apply to syscall paths. Successful exploitation can corrupt adjacent kernel structures, leak sensitive data, or cause the system to halt.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient validation of caller-supplied buffer pointers and lengths inside the IOCTL dispatch logic. The driver assumes that buffers passed by another driver are well-formed and within expected bounds. This pattern matches CWE-822 (the driver dereferences an untrusted pointer) and CWE-119 (read or write operations occur outside the intended memory region). Qualcomm has not published deeper internal details beyond the May 2026 Qualcomm Security Bulletin.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is local and requires low privileges. An attacker needs the ability to load or influence a kernel driver that can issue IOCTL requests to the vulnerable Qualcomm driver, or to leverage an existing driver path that funnels attacker-controlled data into the call. No user interaction is required. Exploitation does not provide remote network reach but can yield kernel-level memory corruption on devices using the affected chipsets.
No public proof-of-concept code or exploit has been verified at the time of writing. Refer to the vendor advisory for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47408
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected kernel panics, watchdog resets, or device reboots referencing Qualcomm WLAN, audio codec, or platform drivers.
- Kernel logs showing faults or oops events tied to IOCTL dispatch routines on affected modules.
- Loading of unsigned, newly introduced, or anomalous kernel drivers on devices using the listed Snapdragon platforms.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor crash dumps and kernel ring buffers for repeated faults inside Qualcomm driver IOCTL handlers.
- Compare installed firmware and vendor patch levels against the May 2026 Qualcomm Security Bulletin baseline to identify unpatched devices.
- Track driver load events and validate code-signing chains for any kernel module interacting with affected Qualcomm components.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose kernel logging on managed devices and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation.
- Alert on privilege escalations or shell processes spawned shortly after kernel crash events on Snapdragon-based endpoints.
- Review device telemetry for abnormal driver-to-driver communication patterns where possible.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47408
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the firmware updates referenced in the May 2026 Qualcomm Security Bulletin to all affected Snapdragon, FastConnect, IQX, WCD, and WSA components.
- Inventory devices and embedded systems against the affected CPE list to confirm patch coverage.
- Restrict the ability to load third-party kernel drivers on production devices.
Patch Information
Qualcomm has released firmware fixes addressing the buffer validation flaw. Device OEMs must integrate the patched firmware into their next platform update and distribute it to end users. Patch availability and rollout schedules are listed in the Qualcomm Security Bulletin May 2026.
Workarounds
- Limit local access to affected devices and enforce least-privilege policies for users able to install software.
- Disable or remove non-essential kernel drivers that interact with vulnerable Qualcomm modules until firmware can be updated.
- Enforce verified boot and driver signing to prevent loading of attacker-controlled kernel components that could call the vulnerable IOCTL.
# Verify Qualcomm firmware/patch level against the May 2026 bulletin baseline
# Example for Android-based devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
adb shell getprop ro.vendor.build.security_patch
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
