dbcve.org
Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9114

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 Automobile and Snapdragon Mobile SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, and SD 820A, lack of address argument validation in qsee_query_counter syscall could lead to untrusted pointer dereference.

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

A missing address argument validation in the qsee_query_counter syscall within Qualcomm's QSEE (Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment) trusted OS allows an untrusted pointer dereference. This TEE vulnerability affects multiple Snapdragon mobile and automobile processors (SD 425, 430, 450, 625, 650/52, 820, 820A) and could allow privilege escalation or code execution within the secure execution environment.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level from April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the validated address check fix in the qsee_query_counter syscall. Users should update their devices through OEM firmware updates containing the Qualcomm security patch.

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
Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 430 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 652 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820 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 Snapdragon processor model
    Check the device specifications or use a system info app to determine if the processor is SD 425, 430, 450, 625, 650, 652, 820, or 820A. This vulnerability only affects these specific Qualcomm Snapdragon variants.
    Affected if The device uses any of the affected Snapdragon models (SD 425, 430, 450, 625, 650, 652, 820, 820A)
  2. Verify the QSEE firmware version
    Access the QSEE version through the device's trust zone or tee info if available via adb shell 'cat /proc/tee_info' or through a trusted application that reports TEE version details.
    Affected if The QSEE firmware version predates the fix or the version cannot be determined, indicating the vulnerable code path exists.
  3. Check the Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and look at the 'Android security patch level' field, or use adb shell 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'.
    Affected if The Android security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, meaning the validated address check fix for qsee_query_counter has not been applied.
  4. Confirm QSEE syscall availability
    Verify that the qsee_query_counter syscall is accessible within the trusted execution environment context by examining TEE logs or using a TEE debugging tool if available.
    Affected if The qsee_query_counter syscall is present and executable in the QSEE environment without address validation safeguards.

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Snapdragon processors (SD 425, 430, 450, 625, 650, 652, 820, 820A) and either has an Android security patch level before April 5, 2018 or an unpatched QSEE firmware version lacking the address validation fix in the qsee_query_counter syscall.

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 the Android security patch level from April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the validated address check fix in the qsee_query_counter syscall. Users should update their devices through OEM firmware updates containing the Qualcomm security patch.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Apply the Android security patch level released on or after April 5, 2018, which addresses the qsee_query_counter syscall vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors
  2. For affected devices (SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A), verify that the device manufacturer has pushed the April 2018 Android security update
  3. Contact the device OEM or carrier if the security patch is not available for your specific device model

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

Fix this in Sd 425 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA12.0 h
60.0 hours of engineering $10,480
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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-2015-9114 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