CVE-2026-24082 Overview
CVE-2026-24082 is a memory corruption vulnerability affecting a wide range of Qualcomm chipsets and firmware. The flaw occurs when data is copied from a freed source during a performance counter deselect operation, resulting in a use-after-free condition [CWE-416]. A local authenticated attacker with low privileges can trigger the vulnerability without user interaction. Successful exploitation can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected device. Qualcomm published the issue in the May 2026 Security Bulletin, and it impacts hundreds of Snapdragon, FastConnect, QCA, WCN, and automotive platform components.
Critical Impact
Local low-privileged attackers can trigger memory corruption in Qualcomm firmware to achieve code execution or escalate privileges on impacted devices.
Affected Products
- Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3, 8+ Gen 2, 7s Gen 3, 6 Gen 4, 4 Gen 1, 695/685/680/662/480/460 5G)
- Qualcomm automotive and robotics platforms (SA8155P, SA8295P, SA8770P, SA9000P, Robotics RB2/RB5, Flight RB5 5G)
- Qualcomm connectivity, audio, and modem firmware (FastConnect 6200/6700/6900/7800, QCA6xxx series, WCN3xxx/6xxx/7xxx, WCD93xx, Snapdragon X35/X72/X75 5G Modem-RF)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-05-04 - CVE-2026-24082 published to NVD
- 2026-05-04 - Qualcomm publishes the May 2026 Security Bulletin documenting the issue
- 2026-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-24082
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a use-after-free condition [CWE-416] within the performance counter subsystem of affected Qualcomm firmware. During a performance counter deselect operation, the firmware copies data from a memory region that has already been freed. The stale reference allows an attacker to influence memory contents that the firmware subsequently uses, leading to memory corruption.
Exploitation requires local access and low privileges, but no user interaction. Because the affected component runs at a privileged firmware layer, successful exploitation can compromise data confidentiality, alter integrity of firmware state, and crash the device. The flaw spans hundreds of SKUs because the vulnerable performance counter logic is shared across Snapdragon mobile, automotive, IoT, modem, audio, and connectivity firmware.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper lifecycle management of a memory buffer used by the performance counter deselect routine. The buffer is freed before all references to it are cleared, and the deselect path then reads or copies data from the dangling pointer. Lack of synchronization between deallocation and the copy operation enables the use-after-free.
Attack Vector
An attacker with local code execution and low privileges on the device, such as a malicious application or a compromised user-space process with access to the relevant driver interface, invokes the performance counter deselect operation. By manipulating timing or reallocation of the freed region, the attacker controls data referenced by the firmware, achieving memory corruption that can lead to privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution within the firmware context.
No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. See the Qualcomm May 2026 Security Bulletin for vendor technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24082
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected kernel or firmware crash logs referencing performance counter, perfmon, or HWIO subsystems on Qualcomm-based devices.
- Repeated invocations of performance counter ioctls or sysfs interfaces by non-privileged or untrusted user-space applications.
- Anomalous reboots or watchdog resets correlated with installation or execution of newly sideloaded applications.
Detection Strategies
- Inventory all Qualcomm-based mobile, automotive, IoT, and networking devices and cross-reference firmware versions against the May 2026 Qualcomm bulletin.
- Monitor mobile device management (MDM) telemetry for crash signatures and firmware fault traces tied to performance counter operations.
- Apply behavioral monitoring on managed endpoints to flag local applications interacting with low-level performance monitoring interfaces.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Centralize device crash dumps and kernel logs to a SIEM for retroactive correlation when new exploit indicators are published.
- Track installed application inventories on managed mobile and embedded fleets to detect unsigned or sideloaded apps targeting privileged interfaces.
- Alert on repeated abnormal terminations of firmware services on automotive and robotics platforms running affected Snapdragon SoCs.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24082
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all devices using affected Qualcomm chipsets and prioritize patching according to the Qualcomm May 2026 Security Bulletin.
- Coordinate with OEMs and carriers to obtain and deploy vendor firmware updates that incorporate the Qualcomm fix.
- Restrict installation of untrusted applications on affected mobile and IoT devices until firmware updates are applied.
Patch Information
Qualcomm has issued fixes as part of the May 2026 Security Bulletin. Device manufacturers must integrate the patched firmware into OEM software updates. Refer to the Qualcomm May 2026 Security Bulletin for the authoritative list of affected components and patch identifiers.
Workarounds
- Enforce application allowlisting and sideloading restrictions through MDM to limit untrusted local code on affected devices.
- Disable or restrict access to performance counter interfaces where the platform configuration permits.
- Isolate vulnerable automotive and robotics platforms on segmented networks until OEM firmware updates are deployed.
# Example: query Android device build and security patch level for fleet triage
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
adb shell getprop ro.product.model
adb shell getprop ro.boot.bootloader
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
