Apq8009w FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2021-30272

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-03
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 null pointer dereference in thread cache operation handler due to lack of validation of user provided input in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking

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 null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the thread cache operation handler of multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chip families. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input before using it in pointer operations. Successful exploitation could cause a system crash (denial of service) or potentially enable arbitrary code execution depending on memory layout and context.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Qualcomm or downstream device manufacturers that address this vulnerability. Until patches are available, monitor for unusual behavior in thread/cache operations and restrict untrusted input from reaching affected components.

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
Apq8009w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ar8031 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ar8035 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Csr8811 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Csra6620 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Csra6640 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 chip model in your system
    Retrieve system/hardware information using commands such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo', 'lspci', 'dmesg', or check device/system documentation to determine the exact Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset or module part number
    Affected if The displayed chipset matches any of the following: Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8096au, Ar8031, Ar8035, Csr8811, Csra6620, or Csra6640
  2. Verify firmware version of the affected chip
    Consult device firmware information through vendor-specific tools, system logs, or hardware diagnostics that report the current firmware version for the identified Qualcomm component
    Affected if Any firmware version is present on a chip from the affected list (all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Determine if thread cache operation handler is in use
    Monitor system behavior or review module/component listings related to thread cache operations. Check if any application or service actively invokes thread cache functionality on the Qualcomm component
    Affected if Thread cache operations are actively utilized on the affected chip, as the vulnerability exists in the thread cache operation handler

Your environment is affected if your system incorporates any of the listed Qualcomm chip models (Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8096au, Ar8031, Ar8035, Csr8811, Csra6620, Csra6640) regardless of firmware version, since all versions of these chips contain the vulnerable thread cache operation handler.

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-supplied firmware updates from Qualcomm or downstream device manufacturers that address this vulnerability. Until patches are available, monitor for unusual behavior in thread/cache operations and restrict untrusted input from reaching affected components.

Fix this in Apq8009w Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA16.0 h
88.0 hours of engineering $15,280
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2021-30272 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