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Msm8998 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2020-3652

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-16
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
Possible buffer over-read issue in windows x86 wlan driver function while processing beacon or request frame due to lack of check of length of variable received. in Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity in MSM8998, QCA6390, SC7180, SC8180X, SDM850

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 buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the Windows x86 WLAN driver when processing beacon or request frames. The driver fails to validate the length of received variables before reading them, allowing an attacker to read memory beyond buffer boundaries by sending specially crafted wireless frames. This affects specific Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets used in consumer devices.

MitigationUpdate the WLAN driver/firmware to the vendor-provided patched version. Until patches are available, consider disabling wireless interfaces or using wired connections in high-risk environments.

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
Msm8998 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6390 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sc7180 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sc8180x FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sdm850 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 WLAN chipset model
    Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and check the properties of the wireless adapter. Look for Qualcomm Snapdragon identifiers such as Msm8998, Qca6390, Sc7180, Sc8180x, or Sdm850 in the hardware description or device name.
    Affected if The wireless adapter is one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Msm8998, Qca6390, Sc7180, Sc8180x, or Sdm850)
  2. Check the WLAN firmware version
    Use the command 'wmic nic get Name, DriverVersion, MACAddress' in Command Prompt to retrieve the driver version, or right-click the wireless adapter in Device Manager, select Properties, and view the Driver tab. Compare this against vendor release notes.
    Affected if The firmware version matches one of the affected chipset identifiers and the device is running a Windows x86 operating system
  3. Verify wireless interface status
    Run 'netsh interface show interface' or check the network connection status to see if the WLAN adapter is enabled and connected.
    Affected if A wireless interface is active and capable of receiving beacon or probe request frames
  4. Confirm Windows x86 architecture
    Run 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt and check the OS Architecture field. Alternatively, run 'echo %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%' - look for x86.
    Affected if The operating system is Windows x86 (32-bit) running on one of the affected Qualcomm chipsets

A system is affected if it uses one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Msm8998, Qca6390, Sc7180, Sc8180x, or Sdm850) with a WLAN interface enabled on a Windows x86 environment, as 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

Update the WLAN driver/firmware to the vendor-provided patched version. Until patches are available, consider disabling wireless interfaces or using wired connections in high-risk environments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Identify the specific device model that uses the affected Qualcomm chipset (MSM8998, QCA6390, SC7180, SC8180X, or SDM850)
  2. Contact the device manufacturer (OEM) to obtain firmware updates that address CVE-2020-3652
  3. Apply the manufacturer-provided firmware update to remediate the buffer over-read vulnerability in the WLAN driver
  4. Verify the firmware update was successfully applied

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

Fix this in Msm8998 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2020-3652 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