Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2024-45555

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-06
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
Memory corruption can occur if an already verified IFS2 image is overwritten, bypassing boot verification. This allows unauthorized programs to be injected into security-sensitive images, enabling the booting of a tampered IFS2 system image.

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 occurs when an already verified IFS2 (IBM system image) is overwritten, bypassing boot verification checks. This allows attackers to inject unauthorized code into security-sensitive system images and boot tampered IFS2 images, achieving code execution at the firmware/boot level.

MitigationImplement integrity protection for verified IFS2 images in memory and enforce re-verification before boot. Patch the memory corruption vulnerability to prevent modification of already-verified boot images.

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
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qam8255p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qam8295p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qam8620p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qam8650p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qam8775p FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qamsrv1h FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qamsrv1m 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 firmware model and version
    Retrieve the system firmware information from the device or system documentation. Look for the chipset or firmware identifier (e.g., Msm8996au, Qam8255p, Qam8295p, Qam8620p, Qam8650p, Qam8775p, Qamsrv1h, Qamsrv1m) and its version number.
    Affected if The firmware model matches any of the affected Qualcomm variants listed in the CVE and is running any version.
  2. Determine if IFS2 image verification is in use
    Check system boot configuration or firmware settings to see if IFS2 (IBM system image) verification is enabled. This may be visible in boot logs, secure boot configuration, or firmware management interfaces.
    Affected if IFS2 image verification is configured and the system relies on the boot verification mechanism described in the CVE.
  3. Inspect boot logs for verification bypass indicators
    Examine boot logs, secure boot audit logs, or firmware integrity logs for any warnings or failures related to IFS2 image verification, memory integrity checks, or image authentication. Look for unexpected modifications or verification failures.
    Affected if Boot logs show signs of IFS2 verification bypass, unexpected image modifications, or memory corruption events affecting system images.
  4. Check for unauthorized code injection in system images
    Compare the current IFS2 system images against known-good or reference images if available. Look for unexpected changes, additional code sections, or modifications to verified boot images.
    Affected if IFS2 images contain unexpected code, have been modified after verification, or differ from expected baseline configurations.

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Qualcomm firmware variants with IFS2 image verification enabled, and evidence shows the boot verification can be bypassed or verified images can be overwritten in memory.

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

Implement integrity protection for verified IFS2 images in memory and enforce re-verification before boot. Patch the memory corruption vulnerability to prevent modification of already-verified boot images.

Fix this in Msm8996au Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
72.0 hours of engineering $12,640
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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-2024-45555 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
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