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Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2021-30254

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-12
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
Possible buffer overflow due to improper input validation in factory calibration and test DIAG command in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the factory calibration and test DIAG (diagnostic) command due to improper input validation. The vulnerability allows potentially malicious or malformed input to overflow buffer boundaries when processed by the DIAG command handler, leading to potential code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for affected Snapdragon product lines. Until patches are available, restrict access to factory calibration and test DIAG command interfaces to prevent untrusted input from reaching the vulnerable code path.

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
Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8009w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8037 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Aqt1000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ar8035 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 in your device
    Check device documentation, hardware specifications, or use system commands like 'cat /proc/cpuinfo', 'lspci', or 'dmesg' to identify the SoC (APQ8009, APQ8017, APQ8053, etc.)
    Affected if The chipset matches any of: APQ8009, APQ8009w, APQ8017, APQ8037, APQ8053, APQ8096au, Aqt1000, Ar8035
  2. Determine if DIAG diagnostic interface is enabled
    Check system configuration files, kernel cmdline, or /proc/cmdline for DIAG-related kernel parameters. On Android, check 'getprop' for 'persist.sys.usb.config' containing 'diag'. Look for /dev/diag or /dev/diag_md device nodes.
    Affected if The DIAG interface is exposed or accessible (device node exists or configuration allows diag access)
  3. Check if factory calibration or test modes are accessible
    Inspect whether diagnostic ports (often USB diag, QDSS, or serial debug interfaces) are exposed. Review USB configuration: 'getprop' for vendor USB settings, check /sys/class/android_usb/android0/enabled, or examine serial/USB debugging state.
    Affected if Factory calibration/test DIAG commands can be reached through exposed diagnostic interfaces
  4. Verify network exposure of diagnostic services
    Check listening ports and services: 'netstat -tulpn' or 'ss -tulpn'. Look for ports associated with diagnostic protocols (often 5555, 5554 for ADB, or custom Qualcomm ports). Review iptables/firewall rules.
    Affected if Diagnostic services listen on network interfaces accessible to untrusted users
  5. Assess physical access requirements
    Review whether debug/test points (JTAG, UART, USB debug) are physically accessible on the device. Check if factory/test modes require authentication or are open.
    Affected if Factory calibration DIAG command interface can be accessed without proper authentication

Your device is affected if it contains one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets AND has the DIAG diagnostic interface enabled or factory calibration/test modes accessible to untrusted input.

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 vendor-provided patches for affected Snapdragon product lines. Until patches are available, restrict access to factory calibration and test DIAG command interfaces to prevent untrusted input from reaching the vulnerable code path.

Fix this in Apq8009 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2021-30254 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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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