dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-9063

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 in a procedure involving a remote UIM client.

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 in the remote UIM (User Identity Module) client functionality within Qualcomm's Code Aurora Forum Linux kernel implementations allows remote attackers to overflow a buffer, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or complete system compromise. The critical CVSS score of 9.8 indicates unauthenticated network exploitation with high impact.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for Qualcomm CAF Android releases; until patched, minimize attack surface by restricting network access to UIM-related services and implementing network segmentation.

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 the processor and kernel implementation
    Check /proc/cpuinfo for 'Qualcomm' processor information, and check /proc/version or uname -a to identify if the kernel is a Qualcomm Code Aurora Forum (CAF) build
    Affected if The device uses a Qualcomm processor with a CAF-built kernel - this vulnerability exists specifically in Qualcomm CAF Linux kernel implementations, not in all Android versions
  2. Verify UIM client functionality is present
    Look for UIM (User Identity Module) related kernel modules, daemons, or services - check /system/bin, /vendor/bin, or /proc/config.gz for UIM-related entries. Search for terms like 'uim', 'qmi_uim', or 'remote uim' in running processes
    Affected if UIM client functionality is enabled or running on the device, as the buffer overflow occurs in the remote UIM client component
  3. Check kernel version against Qualcomm CAF releases
    Obtain the exact kernel version from 'uname -r' or '/proc/version' and compare against Qualcomm CAF release notes if available. Note that this vulnerability affects all versions of the Qualcomm CAF kernel implementing the affected UIM client code
    Affected if The kernel version corresponds to a Qualcomm CAF build that includes the vulnerable remote UIM client code - the summary indicates all versions are affected
  4. Assess network exposure of UIM services
    Check if UIM-related services are listening on network ports or have network access permissions. Use 'netstat -an' or 'ss -tuln' to identify listening services, and review SELinux or firewall policies for UIM-related network rules
    Affected if UIM services are network-accessible, as the CVSS vector indicates unauthenticated network exploitation is possible - the vulnerability allows remote attackers to overflow a buffer via network
  5. Review application permissions for UIM access
    Check Android manifest files or installed app permissions for apps with UIM or SIM-related permissions that could invoke the vulnerable remote UIM client functionality
    Affected if Applications with UIM/SIM access permissions are installed, which could trigger the vulnerable code path

A device is affected if it uses a Qualcomm processor with a Code Aurora Forum-built kernel that includes remote UIM client functionality, as this buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Qualcomm CAF Linux kernel implementations for Android.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for Qualcomm CAF Android releases; until patched, minimize attack surface by restricting network access to UIM-related services and implementing network segmentation.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2015-9063 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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