CVE-2014-9802
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 · uneditedMultiple integer overflows in lib/libfdt/fdt.c in the Qualcomm components in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 5 and 7 (2013) devices allow attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28821965 and Qualcomm internal bug CR705108.
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 confidenceInteger overflow vulnerabilities in the libfdt (Flat Device Tree) library's fdt.c file within Qualcomm Android components allow a malicious crafted application to overflow integer calculations, potentially leading to memory corruption and privilege escalation. This affects Android versions before the July 2016 security patch on 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.
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Check Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if Version is 6.0.1 or lower (6.0, 5.1, 5.0, etc.)
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to see if the July 2016 patch (2016-07-01 or later) is appliedAffected if Patch level is earlier than July 2016 or the property is missing entirely
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Locate libfdt libraryCheck for the library file at /system/lib/libfdt.so or /vendor/lib/libfdt.so using 'ls -la' via ADB shellAffected if The libfdt library file exists on the device (vulnerable library must be present to be exploitable)
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Check for Qualcomm component using libfdtSearch for binaries or components that link to libfdt by running 'strings <binary> | grep fdt' or checking /proc/<pid>/maps if a device tree related service is runningAffected if A Qualcomm component or service that utilizes libfdt is actively running on the device
A device is affected if it runs Android 6.0.1 or lower, lacks the July 2016 security patch, and contains the vulnerable libfdt library used by Qualcomm components.
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 contains the fix for this vulnerability (patched in Qualcomm CR705108). Organizations should ensure affected devices receive manufacturer firmware updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9802 — 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-2014-9802 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
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- 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
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