CVE-2015-9049
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, a vulnerability exists in the processing of certain responses from the USIM.
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 confidenceVulnerability in Qualcomm Android products with Linux kernel from CAF in processing certain USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) responses. The flaw exists in the baseband/firmware layer that handles communication with the SIM card, allowing potentially malicious SIM responses to trigger memory corruption or improper handling.
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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Identify Qualcomm baseband processorCheck if the device uses a Qualcomm chipset/baseband. This can be done via device info apps or by checking the phone's baseband version in Settings > About Phone > Baseband version. Qualcomm baseband typically shows version strings starting with 'M' or 'MSM'.Affected if The device does not use a Qualcomm baseband processor - this vulnerability only affects devices with Qualcomm baseband/firmware.
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Check baseband firmware versionDial *#*#4636#*#* or use a baseband info app to display the baseband version. Record the full version string shown (e.g., MPSS.DI, or similar Qualcomm firmware identifiers).Affected if Unable to determine the baseband version - without knowing the installed baseband firmware version, the exposure status cannot be confirmed.
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Verify USIM/SIM functionality is enabledConfirm the device has an active USIM or SIM card slot and that SIM communication is functional. This vulnerability applies to devices that process USIM responses - if the device has no SIM capability, it is not affected.Affected if The device has no SIM/USIM card capability or SIM communication is disabled - the flaw requires active SIM card interaction to be triggered.
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Consult carrier or OEM for patch statusContact the device manufacturer or mobile carrier to inquire whether the specific baseband firmware version has received the Qualcomm fix for this issue. Provide the baseband version string obtained in step 2.Affected if The carrier or OEM confirms the baseband firmware is unpatched - this is a firmware-level vulnerability that requires vendor-provided updates.
A user is affected if they have a Qualcomm baseband device with an unpatched baseband firmware version that processes USIM responses, as this is a firmware-layer flaw not detectable through Android OS version checks alone.
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 vendor-provided firmware updates from Qualcomm and/or device OEMs. This is a baseband firmware issue requiring coordinated carrier/vendor patch deployment - no user-level remediation is possible.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9049 — 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-2015-9049 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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- 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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