dbcve.org
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2021-30291

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-20
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 memory corruption due to lack of validation of client data used for memory allocation in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets caused by insufficient validation of client-supplied data before using it for memory allocation operations. This could allow an attacker to manipulate allocation sizes, potentially leading to buffer overflows, heap corruption, or arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware/security updates from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. Implement proper input validation and bounds checking on all client-provided values before using them in memory allocation calculations.

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
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8064au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Aqt1000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8917 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8953 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996au 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
    Check system information or device specifications to determine the exact Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset variant. On Linux systems, this may be found in /proc/cpuinfo, /sys/devices/soc0/soc_id, or via 'lspci' for embedded devices. Mobile devices typically list this in Settings > About Phone > Chipset or Baseband version.
    Affected if The chipset model matches one of: Apq8017, Apq8053, Apq8064au, Apq8096au, Aqt1000, Msm8917, Msm8953, or Msm8996au
  2. Check the firmware/baseband version
    Retrieve the baseband or firmware version string from the device. On Android: Settings > About Phone > Baseband version. On Linux: check /proc/version, /sys/kernel/debug/soc_version, or use 'cat /sys/devices/soc0/revision'. For embedded devices, check manufacturer documentation on accessing firmware version.
    Affected if The firmware version corresponds to any released version of the listed affected chipsets (all versions are affected according to the advisory)
  3. Determine if the vulnerable code path is reachable
    Review system configuration and application behavior to determine if any component accepts client-supplied data that could influence memory allocation size calculations. Check if any modem, DSP, or wireless communication interface processes external input before memory operations.
    Affected if Any component or service processes untrusted client-supplied data and uses it in memory allocation operations on the affected chipset
  4. Inspect kernel/firmware logs for memory allocation anomalies
    Examine kernel logs (dmesg), debug logs, or firmware traces for unusual memory allocation patterns, heap corruption warnings, or allocation failures. Look for messages containing 'kmalloc', 'alloc', 'heap', or 'corruption'.
    Affected if Logs show unexpected memory allocation behavior, heap corruption events, or crashes related to allocation size manipulation

A defender is affected if their device or system incorporates any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8017, Apq8053, Apq8064au, Apq8096au, Aqt1000, Msm8917, Msm8953, Msm8996au) and any component processes client-supplied data that influences memory allocation operations.

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

Apply vendor-supplied firmware/security updates from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. Implement proper input validation and bounds checking on all client-provided values before using them in memory allocation calculations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to obtain a firmware update that addresses this vulnerability
  2. Verify with the device manufacturer that the patch for CVE-2021-30291 is included in the firmware update
  3. Apply the firmware update through the manufacturer's recommended process
  4. After updating, confirm the patch has been applied by checking the device firmware version
Caveat Firmware updates may have compatibility considerations; test updates in a controlled environment before production deployment if possible

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

Fix this in Apq8017 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,720
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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-2021-30291 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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