dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2014-9997

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-18
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
In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, and SD 810, lack of input validation in PRDiagMaintenanceHandler can leads to buffer over read.

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 confidence

Buffer overread vulnerability in PRDiagMaintenanceHandler component of Qualcomm Snapdragon baseband/modem firmware. Lack of input validation on diagnostic interface allows an attacker to read beyond buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents or facilitating code execution.

MitigationApply Android security patch level from April 2018 or later; contact device OEM/carrier for firmware updates for affected Snapdragon chipsets.

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
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 400 FirmwareOperating 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. Identify the Qualcomm chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use AT command 'AT+QCFG="hw_version"' or check /proc/cpuinfo for chipset identifiers. For baseband, use 'AT+CGMM' or 'AT+CGMR' to query modem model.
    Affected if The chipset matches one of these: Mdm9206, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, or Sd 400
  2. Check if diagnostic interface is accessible
    Attempt to access the diagnostic interface. On Android devices, check for /dev/diag existence or test with 'getprop ro.debuggable'. Use AT command 'AT*D' or similar diagnostic AT commands if supported by the modem.
    Affected if The diagnostic interface (/dev/diag) exists and is accessible to applications, or diagnostic AT commands respond successfully
  3. Verify baseband/modem firmware version
    Query the baseband firmware version using AT commands: 'AT+CGMR' or 'AT+GMR'. On Android, also check 'getprop gsm.version.baseband'
    Affected if The firmware version corresponds to any release of the affected chipsets (all versions are affected per the advisory)
  4. Check if PRDiagMaintenanceHandler is exposed
    This is an internal firmware component. If diagnostic interface is accessible, attempt to trigger PRDiagMaintenanceHandler functions via diagnostic protocol if you have diagnostic tool access. Otherwise, assume exposure if diagnostic interface is enabled.
    Affected if Diagnostic interface is enabled and exposed to user-space applications or untrusted inputs

A user is affected if their device contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 400) and the diagnostic interface is accessible or enabled on the device.

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 Android security patch level from April 2018 or later; contact device OEM/carrier for firmware updates for affected Snapdragon chipsets.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level April 2018 or later (device-specific updates from OEM/carrier)

  1. Check current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. If the device shows a security patch level before April 5, 2018, contact the device manufacturer or carrier for the appropriate security update
  3. Apply the April 2018 Android Security Patch Level or later, which addresses this vulnerability in the PRDiagMaintenanceHandler component
  4. Verify the security patch level has been successfully applied after updating
Caveat Updating to the latest security patch may require support from the device OEM or carrier; some older devices may no longer receive patches

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9997 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2014-9997 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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