CVE-2014-9796
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 · uneditedapp/aboot/aboot.c in the Qualcomm components in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 5 and 7 (2013) devices does not validate the page size in the kernel header, which allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted boot image, aka Android internal bug 28820722 and Qualcomm internal bug CR684756.
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 confidenceA validation bypass vulnerability exists in the Qualcomm Android bootloader (aboot.c) where the page size field in the kernel header is not validated before use. Attackers can craft a malicious boot image with an invalid page size to bypass intended access restrictions, potentially achieving code execution at the boot level on affected Nexus 5 and 7 (2013) devices.
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<= 6.0.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify device modelCheck if the device is a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 (2013) by running 'getprop ro.product.model' or checking device Settings > About PhoneAffected if Device model is NOT Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 (2013) - these are the only specifically identified affected devices
-
Check Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if Android version is 6.0.1 or lower (versions 6.0.1 and below are affected)
-
Verify security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to check the date of the security updateAffected if Security patch level is before July 2016 (the fix was released in July 2016)
-
Inspect bootloader for page size validationExamine the bootloader binary (aboot) for the page size validation code or check the bootloader version string via 'getprop' or fastboot oem device-infoAffected if Bootloader does not contain page size validation in aboot.c - the vulnerability exists when this check is missing
Device is affected if it is a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 (2013) running Android 6.0.1 or below with a security patch level before July 2016 and a bootloader lacking page size validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the July 2016 Android security update or later, which includes the validated page size check in the bootloader. For legacy devices no longer receiving updates, consider device replacement or network segmentation to limit exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9796 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-9796 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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