CVE-2018-11866 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CVE-2018-11866 was published on October 29, 2018, by Qualcomm, Inc. The vulnerability affects various versions of Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear, potentially leading to an integer overflow in WLAN calculations.

Understanding CVE-2018-11866

This CVE highlights a critical vulnerability in Qualcomm's Snapdragon products, impacting the WLAN functionality due to an integer overflow issue.

What is CVE-2018-11866?

The vulnerability arises from the miscalculation of an internal structure's size in WLAN, resulting in an integer overflow. This flaw is present in multiple versions of Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear.

The Impact of CVE-2018-11866

The vulnerability could allow malicious actors to exploit the WLAN component, potentially leading to a buffer overflow situation. This could result in unauthorized access, data breaches, or system crashes.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-11866

This section delves into the specifics of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The issue stems from the lack of input length validation in certain versions of Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear, causing an integer overflow during WLAN structure size calculation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Products: Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wear
Vendor: Qualcomm, Inc.
Versions: IPQ8074, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, SDA660, SDM429, SDM439, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM710, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by manipulating the input length in WLAN calculations, triggering the integer overflow and potentially leading to a buffer overflow scenario.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to address and prevent the exploitation of CVE-2018-11866.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by Qualcomm promptly.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities related to WLAN.
Implement network segmentation to contain potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update firmware and software to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address weaknesses.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security bulletins and updates from Qualcomm.
Ensure all affected systems are patched with the latest security fixes.