CVE-2025-24857
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 · uneditedImproper access control for volatile memory containing boot code in Universal Boot Loader (U-Boot) before 2017.11 and Qualcomm chips IPQ4019, IPQ5018, IPQ5322, IPQ6018, IPQ8064, IPQ8074, and IPQ9574 could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code.
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 · high confidenceImproper access control in U-Boot's handling of volatile memory containing boot code allows an attacker with local or physical access to potentially read/modify boot code in memory before or during the early boot phase. This affects multiple Qualcomm IPQ chipset generations (IPQ4019 through IPQ9574) running U-Boot versions prior to 2017.11, enabling arbitrary code execution at the most privileged CPU level.
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< 2017.11CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify U-Boot versionCheck the U-Boot version displayed during device boot, or extract it from the firmware image using commands like 'strings' or 'binwalk' to find the version string in the U-Boot binaryAffected if The U-Boot version is any version prior to 2017.11 (e.g., 2016.x, 2015.x, etc.)
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Verify hardware chipsetIdentify the Qualcomm IPQ chipset model on the device by checking device documentation, boot logs, or by querying hardware information through interfaces like 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or U-Boot environment variables if accessibleAffected if The device uses a Qualcomm IPQ chipset in the range IPQ4019 through IPQ9574
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Check for secure boot validationInspect whether secure boot mechanisms are enabled and properly validating boot code in volatile memory. This may require checking U-Boot configuration options (e.g., CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT), EFI variables, or vendor-specific secure boot status indicators during the boot processAffected if Secure boot is disabled, not properly configured, or does not validate boot code in volatile memory before execution
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Assess physical access exposureDetermine if an attacker could access the device during early boot phase or manipulate memory through debug interfaces (JTAG, serial console) to read or modify boot code in volatile memoryAffected if Physical access is possible and the device lacks tamper detection or memory lockdown mechanisms for early boot phases
A device is affected if it runs U-Boot versions prior to 2017.11 on a Qualcomm IPQ4019 through IPQ9574 chipset and does not properly validate boot code in volatile memory during the early boot phase.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped2017.11
Upgrade U-Boot to version 2017.11 or later; apply vendor-specific firmware updates for affected Qualcomm IPQ chipsets; ensure secure boot mechanisms properly validate all boot code in volatile memory before execution.
U-Boot 2017.11 or later
- 1. Identify all U-Boot installations in your environment that are running versions prior to 2017.11
- 2. For embedded devices using Qualcomm chipsets (IPQ4019, IPQ5018, IPQ5322, IPQ6018, IPQ8064, IPQ8074, IPQ9574), check with the device manufacturer for firmware updates that include U-Boot 2017.11 or later
- 3. Obtain the U-Boot 2017.11 release from the official U-Boot repository at https://source.denx.de/u-boot/u-boot/-/tags or the vendor-specific firmware source
- 4. Build the new U-Boot binary for your specific hardware platform using the vendor-provided configuration
- 5. Flash the updated U-Boot image to the device following the manufacturer's flashing procedure, typically via TFTP, USB, or serial console
- 6. Verify the upgrade by checking the U-Boot version at boot time
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-24857 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-24857 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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