CVE-2026-25282: System DOS Vulnerability via Memory Access

CVE-2026-25282 Overview

CVE-2026-25282 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability [CWE-125] disclosed in the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin. The flaw occurs when a Qualcomm component processes unverified data received from a neighboring system, triggering an out-of-bounds memory access. Successful exploitation produces a transient denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.9 with a scope-changed impact, indicating the affected component can influence resources beyond its own security scope.

Critical Impact
Local low-privileged actors can trigger out-of-bounds reads in a Qualcomm component through unverified neighbor-system data, causing high-impact availability loss across a changed security scope.

Affected Products

Qualcomm components referenced in the September 2026 Security Bulletin
Specific chipsets and driver versions listed in the vendor advisory
Downstream OEM firmware integrating the affected Qualcomm code

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-17 - CVE-2026-25282 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-09-17 - Last updated in NVD database
September 2026 - Disclosed in the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25282

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read [CWE-125] in a Qualcomm component that processes messages from a neighboring subsystem. The affected code path accepts data structures from an adjacent processor or peripheral and dereferences fields without validating their bounds against the receive buffer. When crafted or malformed input arrives, the component reads beyond the allocated buffer, corrupting subsequent processing state and producing a transient DoS. The scope-changed classification indicates the fault propagates from the vulnerable component into another security authority, degrading availability of dependent subsystems until the component is reset or reinitialized.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient input validation on data received from a neighboring system. Length fields, offsets, or index values supplied in the inter-processor message are trusted rather than bounds-checked against the destination buffer. This trust boundary omission permits the read to walk outside the intended memory region.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges (AV:L/PR:L). An attacker positioned on the device sends or induces malformed data from a neighboring system into the vulnerable Qualcomm component. No user interaction is required. The result is a high-impact availability loss (A:H) with limited confidentiality and integrity impact, extending across a changed scope. Refer to the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin for the affected components and message paths.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25282

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected resets, watchdog timeouts, or crashes in Qualcomm subsystems handling inter-processor communication
Kernel or firmware logs reporting out-of-bounds access, page faults, or memory abort exceptions in Qualcomm drivers
Repeated malformed messages observed on shared memory or IPC channels between processors

Detection Strategies

Monitor device telemetry for firmware crash dumps and subsystem restart events correlated with a specific process or driver
Baseline normal IPC message sizes and flag transactions exceeding expected bounds
Correlate device reboot patterns across a fleet to identify systemic exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on Qualcomm subsystem crash handlers and forward ramoops or pstore outputs to a central log store
Ingest mobile device management (MDM) crash and stability telemetry into a security data lake for cross-fleet analysis
Track patch level compliance against the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25282

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory devices containing Qualcomm chipsets listed in the September 2026 bulletin and record current firmware and patch levels
Apply OEM firmware updates that incorporate the Qualcomm September 2026 patches as soon as vendor builds are available
Restrict installation of untrusted local applications that could act as a launch point for local exploitation

Patch Information

Qualcomm published fixes as part of its September 2026 monthly security cycle. See the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin for affected components and remediation details. Downstream OEMs must integrate the fix into their firmware releases before end-user devices receive protection.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround is documented; apply the OEM firmware update containing the Qualcomm patch
Reduce local attack surface by enforcing application allow-listing and removing unused system services
Enable automatic firmware updates on managed devices to shorten exposure windows

bash

# Example: verify Android security patch level on managed devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch