CVE-2026-24090: Qualcomm AR8031 Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-24090 Overview

CVE-2026-24090 is a cryptographic weakness affecting the boot flow of a broad range of Qualcomm chipsets and firmware. The flaw occurs while the bootloader processes partition table entries, where insufficient authentication checks (CWE-306, Missing Authentication for Critical Function) allow a locally authenticated attacker to modify the boot flow. Successful exploitation breaks the integrity of the secure boot chain, enabling unauthorized code or configuration to be loaded during device startup. The vulnerability impacts hundreds of Qualcomm components across mobile, automotive, wearable, compute, networking, and XR product lines, including Snapdragon 8 Elite, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3, Snapdragon X-series modems, and FastConnect Wi-Fi chipsets.

Critical Impact

A local attacker with low privileges can subvert the boot flow by tampering with partition table entries, compromising confidentiality and integrity of the device firmware chain of trust.

Affected Products

• Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms (Snapdragon 4/6/7/8 Gen series, Snapdragon 8 Elite, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5)
• Qualcomm automotive, IoT, and compute platforms (SA8155P, SA8255P, SA8295P, SC8380XP, X1E80100)
• Qualcomm connectivity and modem firmware (FastConnect 6200/6700/6900/7800, Snapdragon X32/X35/X72/X75 5G Modem-RF, QCA-series Wi-Fi/Ethernet chips)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-06-01 - CVE-2026-24090 published to NVD
• 2026-06-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24090

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is rooted in how Qualcomm firmware validates partition table entries during the boot sequence. Partition tables describe the layout of storage regions loaded by the bootloader, including critical images such as the secondary bootloader, modem, TrustZone, and operating system kernel. The affected code path performs cryptographic processing on these entries, but the verification is insufficient to prevent tampering. An attacker with local access and limited privileges on the device can manipulate partition table contents in a way that the bootloader accepts as valid. Because the boot flow relies on these entries to determine which images to load and execute, modifying them changes which code runs at next boot. The impact is high for confidentiality and integrity but not availability, because the goal of the attack is persistent boot-flow subversion rather than denial of service.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified as CWE-306, Missing Authentication for Critical Function. The cryptographic processing applied to partition table entries does not enforce authentication strong enough to bind entries to a trusted signing authority. As a result, modifications to partition metadata are not reliably detected before the bootloader acts on them.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access to the target device with at least low-level privileges, such as a compromised user-space process able to write to partition metadata, or physical access during provisioning. No user interaction is required. The attacker writes crafted partition table entries that pass the flawed cryptographic check, then triggers a reboot to execute attacker-controlled boot flow.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is available for CVE-2026-24090. See the Qualcomm Security Bulletin June 2026 for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24090

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to GPT or vendor-specific partition table entries on Qualcomm-based devices.
• Boot images loading from non-standard partitions or with unexpected hashes between reboots.
• Devices reporting firmware versions or boot configurations that differ from the OEM baseline.

Detection Strategies

• Compare on-device partition table contents and boot image hashes against the manufacturer's known-good baseline after each firmware update.
• Monitor mobile device management (MDM) attestation results for failures in verified boot or remote attestation for Qualcomm-powered fleet devices.
• Audit privileged local processes that interact with block devices or partition utilities on Android, automotive, or IoT endpoints.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable and centrally collect verified boot and remote attestation telemetry from managed endpoints, including Android KeyMint and hardware-backed attestation responses.
• Alert on devices that fail attestation, downgrade firmware versions, or report mismatched bootloader state.
• Track installation of firmware updates from the Qualcomm June 2026 Security Bulletin across the device inventory.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24090

Immediate Actions Required

• Inventory all devices and embedded systems containing the Qualcomm chipsets listed in the affected products and prioritize those exposed to untrusted users.
• Apply OEM firmware updates that incorporate the Qualcomm June 2026 patches as soon as they are released by device manufacturers.
• Restrict local privileged access to devices and harden user-space access to block devices and partition utilities.

Patch Information

Qualcomm released fixes as part of the June 2026 security bulletin. Customers must obtain updated firmware from the device OEM, since Qualcomm patches are integrated and shipped downstream. Refer to the Qualcomm Security Bulletin June 2026 for component-level patch references.

Workarounds

• Enforce full-disk encryption and verified boot on all affected endpoints to raise the bar for local tampering.
• Disable or restrict developer options, USB debugging, and OEM unlocking on managed devices through MDM policy.
• Require hardware-backed remote attestation for access to sensitive enterprise resources, and block devices that fail attestation until patched.