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Aqt1000 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2020-11284

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Locked memory can be unlocked and modified by non secure boot loader through improper system call sequence making the memory region untrusted source of input for secure boot loader in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors allows a non-secure boot loader to improperly unlock locked (secure) memory through an incorrect system call sequence. This enables modification of memory regions that should remain protected, compromising the secure boot chain by allowing untrusted input to reach the secure boot loader.

MitigationApply firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and device OEMs to fix the improper system call sequence in the boot loader. Organizations should verify their device models are affected and monitor for available patches.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Aqt1000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ar8035 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm3003a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm4125 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm4250 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm6125 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm6150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Pm6150a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Qualcomm component in the device
    Check device hardware specifications, BOM (Bill of Materials), or system information to determine if the device contains any of the following Qualcomm components: Aqt1000, Ar8035, Pm3003a, Pm4125, Pm4250, Pm6125, Pm6150, or Pm6150a. This may be listed in device documentation, FCC filings, or via hardware inspection.
    Affected if The device contains any of the listed affected Qualcomm firmware components (all versions are affected).
  2. Check the firmware version of the affected component
    Access the firmware version of the specific Qualcomm component through device diagnostics, boot logs, or manufacturer-provided tools. For PMICs (Pm series), this may be readable through debug interfaces or manufacturer software. For the Ar8035, check via PHY diagnostics or boot ROM information.
    Affected if The firmware version matches one of the affected products (Aqt1000, Ar8035, Pm3003a, Pm4125, Pm4250, Pm6125, Pm6150, Pm6150a) at any version - all versions are affected per the advisory.
  3. Verify secure boot is enabled
    Check the device secure boot configuration through boot logs, UEFI/BIOS settings, or security configuration interfaces. Look for secure boot status indicators or 'secure boot enabled' flags in the boot chain documentation.
    Affected if Secure boot is enabled on the device - the vulnerability exploits the secure boot mechanism by improperly unlocking protected memory, so this configuration is required for the flaw to be relevant.
  4. Inspect boot loader system call behavior
    Review boot loader logs or debug traces for unusual system call sequences related to memory region locking/unlocking. Look for any calls that attempt to unlock secure memory regions through unexpected system call sequences during boot.
    Affected if Boot logs show memory unlock operations on protected regions occurring through non-standard system call sequences, indicating the vulnerable code path is present.

The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm firmware components (Aqt1000, Ar8035, Pm3003a, Pm4125, Pm4250, Pm6125, Pm6150, Pm6150a) and has secure boot enabled, as the vulnerability exists in all versions of these firmwares.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and device OEMs to fix the improper system call sequence in the boot loader. Organizations should verify their device models are affected and monitor for available patches.

Fix this in Aqt1000 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-11284 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data