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Apq8098 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2020-3611

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-08
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
u'XBL SEC clears only ZI region when loading Qualcomm-signed segments can lead to improper access issue' in Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in APQ8098, Kamorta, MSM8998, QCS404, QCS605, SDA660, SDA845, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SXR1130

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's XBL (eXtensible Boot Loader) Security (SEC) component allows improper access due to insufficient memory clearing. When loading Qualcomm-signed code segments, only the Zero Initialize (ZI) region is cleared, leaving other memory regions potentially accessible. This could allow unprivileged code to access residual data from previous executions or bypass memory isolation boundaries.

MitigationApply Qualcomm firmware updates provided by OEM/device manufacturers for affected Snapdragon chipsets. Until patches are available, monitor for unauthorized memory access and restrict physical access to vulnerable devices.

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
Apq8098 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Kamorta FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8998 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs404 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs605 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sda660 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sda845 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sdm630 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 chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use commands like 'lspci', 'lsusb', 'cat /proc/cpuinfo', or check the device's BOM (Bill of Materials) to determine the exact Qualcomm processor/soc model
    Affected if The chipset matches any of these: Apq8098, Kamorta, Msm8998, Qcs404, Qcs605, Sda660, Sda845, or Sdm630
  2. Locate firmware version information
    Access the device's bootloader or firmware version through OEM diagnostic tools, boot logs, or by inspecting the firmware image file if accessible. Check /boot or firmware partitions for version strings.
    Affected if Any firmware version is found for the affected chipsets (all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Verify XBL_SEC component presence
    Inspect the boot loader binary or firmware dump for the XBL_SEC component. Use tools like 'strings', 'binwalk', or hex editors on the bootloader image to locate 'XBL_SEC' or related security module identifiers.
    Affected if The XBL_SEC component is present in the firmware, indicating the vulnerable component is loaded
  4. Check for OEM firmware update availability
    Contact the device OEM or check their support website for any available firmware updates for the specific chipset model. Look for release notes mentioning CVE-2020-3611 or 'memory clearing' fixes.
    Affected if No firmware update addressing this CVE has been released by the OEM, or the installed firmware predates available patches

If the device uses any of the affected Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8098, Kamorta, Msm8998, Qcs404, Qcs605, Sda660, Sda845, Sdm630) and no specific CVE-2020-3611 fix has been applied, the environment is considered affected.

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 Qualcomm firmware updates provided by OEM/device manufacturers for affected Snapdragon chipsets. Until patches are available, monitor for unauthorized memory access and restrict physical access to vulnerable devices.

Fix this in Apq8098 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation24.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing20.0 h
  • Review / QA12.0 h
72.0 hours of engineering $12,840
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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-2020-3611 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