Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-21662

Memory Safety in Qualcomm Aqt1000 Firmware

Published
05 September 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0011 1th percentile
Risk Priority 54 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-21662 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Qualcomm Aqt1000 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 1th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Memory corruption in Core Platform while printing the response buffer in log.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-21664Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-43542Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-43538Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-33072Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-28539Same product: Qualcomm Ar8035
CVE-2023-33035Same product: Qualcomm Ar8035
CVE-2024-38423Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-33017Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000
CVE-2023-33085Same product: Qualcomm Ar8035
CVE-2024-23368Same product: Qualcomm Aqt1000

Affected Assets

qualcomm
aqt1000 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ar8035 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
fsm10056 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ipq5010 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ipq5018 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ipq5028 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ipq9008 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
ipq9574 firmware
all versions
qualcomm
qam8295p firmware
all versions
qualcomm
qca6174a firmware
all versions
+126 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-120

Platform-independent managed code eliminates the need for unchecked native buffer copies that are the root cause of classic buffer overflows.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References