CVE-2026-25284: Use-After-Free Information Disclosure

CVE-2026-25284 Overview

CVE-2026-25284 is an information disclosure vulnerability disclosed in the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin. The flaw stems from a pointer being reused after deallocation, allowing a local attacker with low privileges to read sensitive memory contents. The issue is categorized under [CWE-126] (Buffer Over-read), reflecting the class of memory read beyond intended boundaries when the stale pointer is dereferenced.

The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges, with no user interaction needed. Successful exploitation crosses a security scope boundary and yields high confidentiality impact along with limited availability impact.

Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can read memory that should be inaccessible, potentially exposing sensitive kernel or process data on affected Qualcomm platforms.

Affected Products

Qualcomm components listed in the September 2026 Security Bulletin
Refer to the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin for the complete list of affected chipsets and software components

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-17 - CVE CVE-2026-25284 published to NVD
2026-09-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25284

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability arises when a pointer that references a previously deallocated memory region is reused by the affected code path. When the code dereferences this stale pointer, it reads memory whose ownership, contents, or layout have changed since deallocation. This results in an unintended disclosure of memory contents to the caller.

The classification under [CWE-126] indicates the read crosses the boundary of the intended buffer. In practice, the freed region may have been reallocated to another allocation containing sensitive data, or it may still hold residual data from prior use. Either condition allows an attacker who can invoke the vulnerable code path to observe data that should be isolated.

Because the CVSS scope is Changed, the impact reaches beyond the vulnerable component itself. This typically indicates the disclosed information belongs to a different trust boundary, such as a privileged process or the kernel.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifetime management of a pointer. The deallocation path does not invalidate all references to the freed object, and a subsequent code path reuses the stale reference. This use-after-free style condition is used here to read, not write, adjacent or reallocated memory.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges on the affected device. An attacker invokes an interface exposed by the vulnerable Qualcomm component in a sequence that triggers deallocation followed by reuse of the pointer. The response or side effects expose freed memory contents to the caller.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed for CVE-2026-25284, and the vulnerability is not present on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Technical specifics of the affected function are available in the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25284

Indicators of Compromise

No public indicators of compromise have been published for CVE-2026-25284 at this time.
Monitor vendor advisories and downstream OEM bulletins for updated telemetry guidance.

Detection Strategies

Inventory devices using affected Qualcomm chipsets and firmware versions identified in the September 2026 bulletin.
Correlate unexpected local process interactions with kernel or driver interfaces exposed by the vulnerable component.
Alert on unusual invocation patterns targeting Qualcomm driver ioctl or system-call entry points from low-privileged processes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Track patch adoption status across mobile and embedded fleets that rely on Qualcomm silicon.
Enable endpoint telemetry on Android and Linux devices to capture local process behavior and driver access.
Review logs for repeated failures or abnormal returns from kernel interfaces that may indicate probing.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25284

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the patches referenced in the Qualcomm September 2026 Security Bulletin as soon as they are delivered by the device OEM or Linux distribution.
Restrict local access to affected devices and enforce least privilege for user-mode applications.
Prioritize updates on devices that process sensitive data or run in multi-tenant contexts.

Patch Information

Qualcomm has published fixes as part of the September 2026 Security Bulletin. Downstream OEMs and platform vendors will integrate these fixes into their monthly security updates. Consult the vendor bulletin for the authoritative list of patched components and version identifiers.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround has been published; patching is the recommended remediation.
Where patching is delayed, limit installation of untrusted applications that could invoke the vulnerable interfaces locally.
Enforce application sandboxing and platform-level exploit mitigations to reduce the window of exposure.