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Vulnerability record · CVE-2020-11261 · published 9 June 2021

CVE-2020-11261: Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets memory corruption via improper allocation size check

Qualcomm · Apq8009 Firmware

Qualcomm Snapdragon firmware fails to return an error when a user application requests a very large memory allocation, leading to memory corruption (out-of-bounds write / improper input validation). The flaw affects a wide range of Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Consumer IOT, Industrial IOT, Mobile, Voice & Music and Wearables chipsets. Because it is in widely deployed mobile and embedded firmware, it matters for any organization managing affected devices.

7.8 CVSS 3.1 High CISA KEV since 1 Dec 2021 EPSS 1.6% · top 25.1% CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds writeCWE-20 · Improper input validation
7.8CVSS 3.1 base score, v2 7.2
1.6%EPSS exploitation probability, 30 days
YesIn CISA KEV, fix deadline passed
150Affected product versions listed by NVD
3References
17 Jun 2026Last modified by NVD

Description

Memory corruption due to improper check to return error when user application requests memory allocation of a huge size in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 17 September 2026. Confidence: medium.

high priorityThe flaw is in widely deployed Qualcomm firmware, has high CVSS impact, and is listed in CISA KEV as exploited in the wild, though it requires local access with low privileges.

What it is

Qualcomm Snapdragon firmware fails to return an error when a user application requests a very large memory allocation, leading to memory corruption (out-of-bounds write / improper input validation). The flaw affects a wide range of Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Connectivity, Consumer IOT, Industrial IOT, Mobile, Voice & Music and Wearables chipsets. Because it is in widely deployed mobile and embedded firmware, it matters for any organization managing affected devices.

Impact

An attacker who can run code on the device can corrupt memory and potentially achieve code execution or cause a crash in the context of the vulnerable component. The CVSS vector indicates high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact.

Attack surface

The vector is local (AV:L) with low privileges required (PR:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), so the attacker must already have the ability to run a user application on the device. It is not remotely reachable over the network per the supplied vector.

Exploitation

CVE-2020-11261 is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-12-01), indicating exploitation in the wild; EPSS 30-day probability is about 1.8% (77th percentile). No ransomware campaign use is documented.

What to do

  • Apply the Qualcomm January 2021 security bulletin updates for all affected chipsets as directed by the device vendor.
  • Track and prioritize firmware updates for affected Snapdragon-based mobile, automotive, IoT and wearable devices in your inventory.
  • Restrict the ability to run untrusted or sideloaded applications on affected devices to reduce the local attack surface.
  • Where patching is not yet possible, isolate affected devices from sensitive networks and data and monitor for abnormal crashes or memory-related faults.

Detection

  • Monitor device and application logs for repeated crashes, memory corruption faults or abnormal process terminations on affected Snapdragon devices.
  • Watch for applications attempting unusually large memory allocation requests, which is the trigger described in the advisory.
  • Correlate endpoint telemetry for local privilege escalation or code execution attempts originating from user-space applications on affected devices.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.

Exploitation in the wild

CISA added CVE-2020-11261 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 1 December 2021 as "Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets Improper Input Validation Vulnerability". Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Federal deadline 1 June 2022.

Affected products

150 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.

References

LinkTags
https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2021-bulletin PatchVendor Advisory
https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2021-bulletin PatchVendor Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11261 US Government Resource

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Same products first, then exploited flaws of the same weakness class.

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Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2020-11261), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-28). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.