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Android MsmOperating system · Codeaurora

CVE-2014-0972

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-08-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The kgsl graphics driver for the Linux kernel 3.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, does not properly prevent write access to IOMMU context registers, which allows local users to select a custom page table, and consequently write to arbitrary memory locations, by using a crafted GPU command stream to modify the contents of a certain register.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The kgsl graphics driver for Linux kernel 3.x (used in Qualcomm MSM Android devices) fails to properly restrict write access to IOMMU context registers. A local attacker with GPU access can use a crafted GPU command stream to modify these registers, allowing them to select a custom page table and write to arbitrary memory locations.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied kernel/driver patches that properly restrict IOMMU context register writes; update to a patched kernel version and restrict access to the graphics subsystem for untrusted applications.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Android MsmOperating system
Affected:= 3.2.54= 3.4.72= 3.4.73= 3.4.74= 3.4.75= 3.4.76= 3.4.77= 3.4.78= 3.4.79= 3.10= 3.10.22= 3.10.23

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version matches one of the affected Codeaurora Android Msm versions: 3.2.54, 3.4.72-3.4.79, 3.10, 3.10.22, or 3.10.23
  2. Confirm Qualcomm MSM hardware
    Check /proc/cpuinfo for 'Qualcomm' or 'MSM' in the hardware information, or check /sys/devices/system/cpu/ for ARM-based Snapdragon/Qualcomm identifiers
    Affected if The device uses Qualcomm MSM (Mobile Station Modem) chipset, which ships with the vulnerable kgsl driver
  3. Verify kgsl graphics driver is loaded
    Check for presence of kgsl module via 'ls /sys/module/ | grep kgsl' or list kgsl device nodes via 'ls /dev/kgsl*'
    Affected if The kgsl driver module is loaded and active, providing the attack surface for IOMMU register manipulation
  4. Check for GPU device access
    Verify access to /dev/kgsl-3d0 or /dev/kgsl device nodes exists for the user context
    Affected if The attacker has read/write access to the kgsl GPU device node, enabling submission of crafted GPU command streams
  5. Inspect IOMMU configuration
    Check /sys/class/misc/kgsl-iommu* or /d/kgsl/kgsl-iommu* (if debugfs mounted) for IOMMU context register accessibility and verify if any custom page table bindings are exposed
    Affected if IOMMU context registers are writable by the GPU driver without proper validation, allowing custom page table selection

A user is affected if they are running a Qualcomm MSM Android device with a vulnerable kernel version (3.2.54, 3.4.72-3.4.79, 3.10, 3.10.22, or 3.10.23) and have the kgsl driver loaded with accessible GPU device nodes.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied kernel/driver patches that properly restrict IOMMU context register writes; update to a patched kernel version and restrict access to the graphics subsystem for untrusted applications.

Fix this in Android Msm Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-0972 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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