CVE-2025-59604 Memory Corruption Vulnerability Due to Null Pointer Dereference

CVE-2025-59604 is a memory corruption vulnerability that occurs when a memory copy operation attempts to write to an invalid memory location due to a null pointer dereference. This vulnerability, reported by Qualcomm, can lead to unexpected program termination, denial of service, or potentially arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of null pointers during memory copy operations, which can be exploited by a local attacker with low privileges. This poses a significant risk to systems utilizing the affected Qualcomm components, as successful exploitation could compromise system integrity and confidentiality. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, indicating a high severity.

Attack Chain

1. A local attacker gains initial access to the system with low privileges.
2. The attacker crafts a malicious input to trigger the vulnerable memory copy operation.
3. The crafted input causes a null pointer to be dereferenced during the memory copy.
4. The memory copy operation attempts to write to an invalid memory address (0x0).
5. This invalid write causes memory corruption, leading to program instability.
6. The corrupted memory may contain critical program data or executable code.
7. If executable code is overwritten, the attacker may achieve arbitrary code execution.
8. Successful code execution can lead to privilege escalation and full system compromise.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-59604 can lead to several negative outcomes. The most immediate impact is a denial of service, as the affected program crashes due to memory corruption. In more severe cases, the attacker can leverage the memory corruption to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the vulnerable process. This can allow the attacker to escalate privileges, steal sensitive data, or install malware on the affected system. Given the high CVSS score of 7.8, this vulnerability poses a significant threat to the security and stability of affected systems.

Recommendation

• Monitor process execution for attempts to trigger memory copy operations with potentially malicious inputs to detect potential exploitation attempts (Sigma rule).
• Review and apply the security updates provided in the Qualcomm security bulletin for June 2026 to patch CVE-2025-59604 (Reference: https://docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/june-2026-bulletin.html).
• Implement robust input validation and sanitization techniques to prevent malicious inputs from reaching vulnerable memory copy operations.
• Enable and review system logs for null pointer dereferences and memory access violations, which can be indicators of exploitation attempts.