Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2021-30261

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-17
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 integer and heap overflow due to lack of input command size validation while handling beacon template update command from HLOS in Snapdragon Auto, 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 · moderate confidence

Integer and heap overflow vulnerability in Snapdragon baseband firmware's beacon template update command handler. Insufficient input size validation allows a malicious HLOS command to trigger integer overflow that leads to heap buffer overflow, potentially allowing code execution in the baseband processor context.

MitigationApply the Qualcomm firmware patch (update baseband/modem firmware to the patched version) for affected Snapdragon devices. This is a vendor-supplied firmware update that must be obtained from Qualcomm and deployed through device OEM channels.

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
Apq8084 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Aqt1000 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 Snapdragon chipset model
    Check the device specifications or system information to determine if the chipset is one of: Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8084, Apq8096au, or Aqt1000. This can be found in /proc/cpuinfo, device specs, or through AT commands like AT+CGMM
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed chipset models
  2. Retrieve the baseband firmware version
    Query the modem/baseband firmware version using AT commands (AT+CGMR or AT+QVERSION) or through Android system properties (getprop gsm.version.baseband)
    Affected if The baseband firmware version cannot be verified or is older than vendor-patched versions
  3. Verify if the beacon template update feature is accessible
    Confirm that the device has baseband modem functionality that processes HLOS commands for beacon template updates. This is typically internal to the baseband processor and not directly accessible to users
    Affected if The device has an active baseband/modem component processing Qualcomm firmware
  4. Check OEM or carrier for firmware patch status
    Contact the device manufacturer or carrier to verify if a firmware update addressing CVE-2021-30261 has been applied. Query the modem firmware version against known patched versions provided by Qualcomm
    Affected if The vendor has not confirmed a firmware patch for this specific CVE or the firmware remains at an unpatched version
  5. Review security bulletins for patch availability
    Consult Qualcomm's security bulletin or the device manufacturer's security advisory for CVE-2021-30261 to determine if a patched firmware version is available for your specific device model
    Affected if No vendor-confirmed patch for CVE-2021-30261 has been applied to the device

A device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets and the baseband firmware has not been updated with Qualcomm's patch for CVE-2021-30261.

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 the Qualcomm firmware patch (update baseband/modem firmware to the patched version) for affected Snapdragon devices. This is a vendor-supplied firmware update that must be obtained from Qualcomm and deployed through device OEM channels.

Fix this in Apq8009 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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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30261 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2021-30261 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