CVE-2014-9973
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 Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, validation of a buffer length was missing in a PlayReady DRM routine.
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 missing buffer length validation in the PlayReady DRM routine within the Linux kernel used in Qualcomm Android releases from CAF allows potential buffer overflow exploitation. This kernel-level vulnerability could enable an attacker to execute code with elevated privileges, potentially achieving remote code execution or local privilege escalation depending on attack vector.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm device uses Qualcomm processor with CAF kernelCheck /proc/cpuinfo for 'Hardware' or 'model' field containing 'Qualcomm' and examine kernel build info for 'caf' or 'CodeAurora' identifiersAffected if Device runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC with CAF (CodeAurora Forum) kernel build
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Verify PlayReady DRM component is presentCheck for PlayReady-related kernel modules or firmware files in /system/lib, /vendor/lib, or kernel config for CONFIG_PLAYREADY_DRM or similarAffected if PlayReady DRM binaries/modules are loaded on the device
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Check kernel version against Qualcomm CAF release datesRun 'uname -a' to get kernel version and cross-reference with CAF release history for 2014-2015 periodAffected if Kernel version predates mid-2015 CAF security updates
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Identify if Android SELinux enforcement is presentCheck /sys/kernel/sepolicy or run 'getenforce' to determine SELinux statusAffected if SELinux is disabled or set to permissive mode, reducing kernel exploit barriers
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Verify kernel build configuration for DRM buffer handlingExamine /proc/config.gz (if available) or boot.img for DRM/PlayReady-related kernel config optionsAffected if PlayReady DRM is enabled in kernel config without adequate buffer length checks
A user is affected if their Android device uses a Qualcomm CAF kernel with PlayReady DRM enabled and the kernel version predates vendor-specific security patches addressing this buffer overflow vulnerability.
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 Qualcomm/CAF security patches and Android system updates. This kernel-level vulnerability requires vendor firmware updates rather than user-configurable remediation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,152.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9973 — 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-2014-9973 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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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
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