dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-9042

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-08-18
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 all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, a buffer overflow vulnerability exists when processing a QMI message.

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 confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Qualcomm Android products using the Linux kernel from CAF (Code Aurora Forum). The overflow occurs during processing of QMI (Qualcomm Modem Interface) messages, potentially allowing remote code execution or denial of service via malformed QMI messages.

MitigationThis is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a vendor patch from Qualcomm/OEM; users should apply available security updates and monitor for vendor firmware releases.

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. Identify Qualcomm hardware
    Run 'getprop ro.hardware' or check /proc/cpuinfo to see if the device uses a Qualcomm chipset. This vulnerability only affects devices with Qualcomm processors.
    Affected if The device does not use Qualcomm hardware - if ro.hardware does not contain Qualcomm identifiers like 'msm' or 'snapdragon', the device is not affected.
  2. Check kernel version source
    Run 'uname -a' or 'cat /proc/version' to examine the kernel build information. Look for 'CAF' (Code Aurora Forum) or 'qcom' in the version string.
    Affected if The kernel is not built from CAF sources - if the kernel version does not reference Code Aurora Forum or Qualcomm modifications, the specific vulnerability path may not exist.
  3. Verify QMI subsystem presence
    Check if the device has QMI (Qualcomm Modem Interface) support by looking for related kernel modules: 'ls /sys/module | grep -i qmi' or check for 'rmnet' modules which handle QMI data paths.
    Affected if QMI/rmnet modules are not loaded or do not exist on the device - the vulnerability only triggers when the QMI message processing code is active.
  4. Check baseband/modem version
    Run 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' or 'getprop ro.baseband' to identify the modem firmware version. Compare against any available Qualcomm patch references.
    Affected if Unable to determine baseband version - the vulnerability resides in the modem interface layer, and knowing the baseband version helps assess exposure.

The device is affected only if it uses Qualcomm hardware with a CAF-built kernel that includes active QMI/rmnet modules for modem communication; most general Android devices without Qualcomm chipsets are not vulnerable to this specific flaw.

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

This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a vendor patch from Qualcomm/OEM; users should apply available security updates and monitor for vendor firmware releases.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level January 2016 or later (kernel update from CAF)

  1. Contact your device OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or carrier to obtain a firmware update that includes the January 2016 Android Security Bulletin patch or later
  2. Verify the device is running Android Security Patch Level January 2016 or later via Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  3. If no OEM update is available, consider migrating to a device with active security support
Caveat Firmware updates may vary by OEM and carrier; some older devices may no longer receive 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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,600
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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-2015-9042 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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