dbcve.org
Bitra FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2020-3679

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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'During execution after Address Space Layout Randomization is turned on for QTEE, part of code is still mapped at known address including code segments' in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in Bitra, Kamorta, Nicobar, QCS404, QCS610, Rennell, SA6155P, SA8155P, Saipan, SC7180, SC8180X, SDX55, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SM8250, SXR2130

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 QTEE (Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment) allows code segments to remain mapped at predictable memory addresses even after Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is enabled. This defeats the security purpose of ASLR, potentially allowing attackers to bypass memory protection mechanisms and develop reliable exploits.

MitigationThis issue requires a firmware update from Qualcomm to correct the ASLR implementation in QTEE. End users should apply security patches provided by their device manufacturers once available.

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
Bitra FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Kamorta FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Nicobar FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs404 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs610 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rennell FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sa6155p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sa8155p 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
None
Availability
None

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

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 platform or firmware version
    Check the device's system information, bootloader, or firmware metadata to determine the exact Qualcomm platform/model (e.g., Bitra, Kamorta, Nicobar, QCS404, QCS610, Rennell, SA6155P, SA8155P) and its firmware version
    Affected if The device runs any version of the affected Qualcomm platforms listed in the CVE (Bitra, Kamorta, Nicobar, QCS404, QCS610, Rennell, SA6155P, SA8155P)
  2. Confirm QTEE is enabled on the device
    Check the device configuration or trusted execution environment status to verify that Qualcomm's QTEE (Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment) is active on the system
    Affected if QTEE is present and active on the device (the vulnerability only applies when QTEE is in use)
  3. Inspect QTEE memory layout for predictable addresses
    Examine the memory mapping of QTEE code segments using JTAG, debug interfaces, or firmware analysis tools to determine if code segments load at static/predictable addresses rather than randomized locations
    Affected if QTEE code segments are mapped to fixed, predictable memory addresses after ASLR should have randomized them, indicating ASLR is not functioning correctly in QTEE
  4. Verify ASLR behavior in QTEE context
    Reboot the device multiple times and compare the load addresses of QTEE components each time. If the addresses remain identical across boots, ASLR is not properly randomizing QTEE memory
    Affected if QTEE components load at the same memory address across multiple reboots, confirming the ASLR bypass vulnerability is present

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm platforms (Bitra, Kamorta, Nicobar, QCS404, QCS610, Rennell, SA6155P, SA8155P) with QTEE enabled and exhibits predictable memory addresses for QTEE code segments, indicating ASLR is defeated.

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

This issue requires a firmware update from Qualcomm to correct the ASLR implementation in QTEE. End users should apply security patches provided by their device manufacturers once available.

Fix this in Bitra Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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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-2020-3679 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
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