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Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2021-35083

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 out of bound read due to improper validation of certificate chain in SSL or Internet key exchange in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial 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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Snapdragon chipsets due to improper validation of certificate chains during SSL/TLS or Internet Key Exchange (IKE) authentication. This memory safety flaw allows attackers to read sensitive memory contents by presenting a specially crafted malicious certificate, potentially exposing cryptographic keys, credentials, or other sensitive data processed during the handshake.

MitigationApply firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and distributed through device manufacturers. Until patches are available, restrict network exposure of affected devices and monitor for anomalous TLS/IKE traffic patterns.

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
Ar8031 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 chipset model
    Check the device or system documentation, or run commands such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo', 'lspci', 'lsusb', or check bootloader/SOC information to determine the Qualcomm APQ chipset model (Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Aqt1000, or Ar8031)
    Affected if The chipset model matches any of the following: Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Aqt1000, or Ar8031
  2. Verify SSL/TLS client or server is enabled
    Inspect the device configuration, running processes, or network services to determine if any SSL/TLS-enabled service (HTTPS client/server, OpenSSL, mbed TLS, or proprietary TLS stack) is actively running or configured
    Affected if SSL/TLS functionality is enabled and the device performs TLS handshakes with remote endpoints
  3. Verify IKE/IPsec is enabled
    Check for IKE daemon processes (such as charon, strongSwan, or vendor-specific IKE), IPsec configurations, or VPN services that perform IKE authentication
    Affected if IKE authentication for IPsec or VPN is enabled and actively used
  4. Check firmware version
    Query the device firmware version through bootloader, AT commands, system info, or vendor-specific interfaces (for example, 'cat /sys/firmware/devicetree/base/model' or vendor diagnostic tools)
    Affected if The firmware version is any version of the affected chipsets (all versions are vulnerable)
  5. Assess network exposure
    Review firewall rules, network ACLs, and device accessibility to determine if the device is directly reachable from untrusted networks on ports used for TLS (443, etc.) or IKE (500, 4500)
    Affected if The device is network-accessible and can receive TLS or IKE connections from untrusted sources

You are affected if your device uses a listed Qualcomm APQ chipset (Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Aqt1000, or Ar8031) and has SSL/TLS or IKE authentication enabled, since all firmware versions of these chipsets contain the vulnerability.

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 firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and distributed through device manufacturers. Until patches are available, restrict network exposure of affected devices and monitor for anomalous TLS/IKE traffic patterns.

Fix this in Apq8009 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation16.0 h
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA12.0 h
92.0 hours of engineering $16,160
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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-2021-35083 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