dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2014-9954

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in Qualcomm closed source components. Product: Android. Versions: Android kernel. Android ID: A-36388559.

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 · low confidence

This is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Qualcomm's closed-source components that affects the Android kernel. The vulnerability allows a local malicious application to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially gaining root access on affected devices.

MitigationApply security patches released by Qualcomm and device OEMs. This is a kernel-level vulnerability requiring firmware updates from device manufacturers rather than application-level fixes.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check Android Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level. This displays the date of the most recent security update installed on the device.
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the date when the fix for CVE-2014-9954 was released (typically February 2016 or later, depending on OEM).
  2. Check Android OS Version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android Version. This displays the installed Android OS version.
    Affected if The Android version is present in any version, as this vulnerability affects all versions according to the advisory, unless a security patch has been applied.
  3. Check Kernel Version
    Run 'uname -r' in a terminal app or check via /proc/version. This displays the running kernel version.
    Affected if The kernel version corresponds to an unpatched build. Patched kernels typically include the February 2016 or later Qualcomm security updates.
  4. Verify OEM Firmware Update Status
    Check with your device manufacturer or carrier for the most recent firmware update. Verify the baseband version and kernel version against published patch information.
    Affected if The device has not received a firmware update containing the Qualcomm security patch that addresses CVE-2014-9954.

A user is affected if their device runs any Android version without having received the corresponding Qualcomm kernel security patch, indicated by a Security Patch Level predating the fix release.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply security patches released by Qualcomm and device OEMs. This is a kernel-level vulnerability requiring firmware updates from device manufacturers rather than application-level fixes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android security patch level 2016-02-01 or later (as part of the February 2016 Android Security Bulletin)

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  2. If the security patch level is earlier than February 2016, apply the available system update containing the February 2016 Android Security Bulletin patches
  3. For devices no longer receiving official updates, consider upgrading to a device that still receives monthly security patches
  4. Verify after update that the security patch level shows February 2016 or later
Caveat Some older devices may not receive further updates and may need to be replaced; not all Android devices receive monthly security patches

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2014-9954 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