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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2014-4323

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.16.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 mdp_lut_hw_update function in drivers/video/msm/mdp.c in the MDP display driver for the Linux kernel 3.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, does not validate certain start and length values within an ioctl call, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application.

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 mdp_lut_hw_update function in the MDP display driver (drivers/video/msm/mdp.c) for Linux kernel 3.x fails to validate start and length parameters passed through an ioctl call. This allows a local attacker to pass crafted values that can lead to privilege escalation or memory corruption.

MitigationApply the upstream kernel patch that adds proper bounds checking for start and length values in the mdp_lut_hw_update function. For Android devices, this requires a kernel security update from the device vendor.

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0.0, <= 3.16.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

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

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. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version is 3.0.0 through 3.16.1 inclusive
  2. Verify MDP driver presence
    Check if the msm_mdp driver module exists or is compiled into the kernel: 'ls /sys/module/msm_mdp' or check kernel config for CONFIG_MSM_MDP or search for mdp.c in /boot/config-*
    Affected if The MDP display driver (msm_mdp) is present in the kernel
  3. Check for vulnerable ioctl interface
    Identify if the MDP ioctl interface is accessible: look for /dev/graphics/fb0 or /dev/msm_mdp interface, or check if the mdp_lut_hw_update function is referenced in the kernel via 'grep -r mdp_lut_hw_update /boot/System.map-*' if available
    Affected if The MDP ioctl interface exists and is accessible to local users

The system is affected if it runs a Linux kernel between 3.0.0 and 3.16.1 with the msm_mdp display driver loaded and the vulnerable ioctl interface accessible.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.16.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the upstream kernel patch that adds proper bounds checking for start and length values in the mdp_lut_hw_update function. For Android devices, this requires a kernel security update from the device vendor.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2014-4323 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data