# CVE-2025-21456: Use After Free in NPU

> Concurrent buffer mapping in Qualcomm Snapdragon NPU allows use-after-free, potentially enabling code execution or privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vv64-cx48-gwwp

## What is CVE-2025-21456?

CVE-2025-21456 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Qualcomm Ar8035 Firmware, published on 6 Aug 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Memory corruption while processing IOCTL command when multiple threads are called to map/unmap buffer concurrently.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21456?

It affects 64 products.


Products: Qualcomm Ar8035 Firmware, Qualcomm C-V2x 9150 Firmware, Qualcomm Fastconnect 6900 Firmware, Qualcomm Fastconnect 7800 Firmware, Qualcomm Qam8255p Firmware, Qualcomm Qam8295p Firmware, Qualcomm Qam8650p Firmware, Qualcomm Qam8775p Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6174a Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6574au Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6584au Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6696 Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6698aq Firmware, Qualcomm Qca6797aq Firmware, Qualcomm Qca8081 Firmware, Qualcomm Qca8337 Firmware, Qualcomm Qcc710 Firmware, Qualcomm Qcn6224 Firmware, Qualcomm Qcn6274 Firmware, Qualcomm Qcs410 Firmware and 44 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21456?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-21456 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-21456 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Qualcomm Ar8035 Firmware

- [CVE-2023-33106](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-33106/): Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets Use of Out-of-Range Pointer Offset (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-45569](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45569/): Improper Validation of Array Index in WLAN Host Communication (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-21473](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-21473/): Improper Input Validation in WIN SON (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-28582](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28582/): Buffer Copy Without Checking Size of Input in Data Modem (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-43552](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43552/): Use After Free in WLAN Host Communication (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-21456 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21456 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Qualcomm Ar8035 Firmware, published on 6 Aug 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Qualcomm Ar8035 Firmware. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21456/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21456/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21456
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21456
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21456

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21456/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.