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Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2020-3634

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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'Multiple Read overflows issue due to improper length check while decoding Generic NAS transport/EMM info' in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables in APQ8053, APQ8096AU, APQ8098, Kamorta, MDM9150, MDM9205, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8905, MSM8909W, MSM8917, MSM8953, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCM2150, QCS605, QCS610, QM215, Rennell, SA415M, Saipan, SC7180, SDA660, SDA845, SDM429, SDM429W, SDM439, SDM450, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SDX20, SDX24, SDX55, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, 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 · high confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets where improper length validation during decoding of Generic NAS transport/EMM (EPS Mobility Management) information allows multiple read overflows. This occurs in the baseband processor's protocol stack handling mobile network communications, potentially allowing attackers to read sensitive memory contents or achieve code execution.

MitigationApply firmware updates provided by device OEMs/carriers; prioritize patching mobile devices, wearables, and IoT devices with affected Snapdragon chipsets given the 9.1 critical severity and network-adjacent attack vector.

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
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8098 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Kamorta FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 system information tools (e.g., 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android, or check BIOS/UEFI for embedded devices) to determine the exact Snapdragon or Qualcomm modem chipset model
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the following: Apq8053, Apq8096au, Apq8098, Kamorta, Mdm9150, Mdm9205, Mdm9206, or Mdm9607
  2. Check baseband processor firmware version
    On Android devices, use 'AT+CGMR' or check 'Settings > About Phone > Baseband version'; for IoT/embedded devices, consult OEM documentation or access baseband firmware via diagnostic interfaces
    Affected if The baseband firmware version cannot be verified as patched, or the device runs any firmware version on an affected chipset (all versions are affected)
  3. Verify mobile network stack is active
    Confirm the device has an active cellular radio and is configured to handle NAS (Non-Access Stratum) or EMM (EPS Mobility Management) protocols - check if the device connects to LTE/4G/5G networks
    Affected if The device actively processes mobile network communications via the baseband processor (this is the default state for most cellular devices)

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8053, Apq8096au, Apq8098, Kamorta, Mdm9150, Mdm9205, Mdm9206, Mdm9607) and processes cellular network protocols, since all firmware versions of these chipsets are vulnerable.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply firmware updates provided by device OEMs/carriers; prioritize patching mobile devices, wearables, and IoT devices with affected Snapdragon chipsets given the 9.1 critical severity and network-adjacent attack vector.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Contact the OEM or device manufacturer to obtain firmware updates addressing CVE-2020-3634
  2. Apply the OEM-provided firmware update that includes the security patch for the integer underflow vulnerability
  3. Verify the patch has been successfully applied by checking the firmware version or consulting OEM release notes
Caveat Firmware updates for Qualcomm SoC/vulnerabilities must come from OEMs; no direct end-user patches available

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Apq8053 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,200
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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-2020-3634 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