CVE-2014-9966
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 · uneditedIn all Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerability exists in Secure Display.
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 · moderate confidenceA Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability exists in the Secure Display component of Android kernels from CAF (Code Aurora Forum). This type of vulnerability occurs when there is a time gap between verifying a security condition and acting on that verification, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate system state during that window.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/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 the kernel source and versionCheck /proc/version or run 'uname -a' to display kernel version information. Look for 'CAF' (Code Aurora Forum) or Qualcomm-related identifiers in the build string.Affected if The device runs a CAF (Code Aurora Forum) kernel, as this vulnerability exists in Android kernels from CAF.
-
Confirm Secure Display driver presenceSearch for Secure Display kernel modules or drivers. Check /sys/module/ or /drivers/ directories for 'secdisplay', 'secure_display', or similar naming. Alternatively, examine kernel boot logs (dmesg) for Secure Display initialization messages.Affected if The Secure Display driver or module is present and loaded on the device.
-
Check kernel configuration for Secure DisplayIf you have access to the kernel configuration (often found in /boot/config-* or /proc/config.gz), search for CONFIG_SECURE_DISPLAY, CONFIG_FB_SEC_DISPLAY, or similar Secure Display-related kernel options set to 'y' or 'm'.Affected if Secure Display support is enabled in the kernel configuration (set to yes or module).
A device is affected if it runs a CAF-based Android kernel with the Secure Display feature enabled or present.
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 available vendor/security patches for this CVE. If no patch is available, consider restricting or disabling the Secure Display feature until a fix can be deployed.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9966 — 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-2014-9966 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