dbcve.org
Mdm9615 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9118

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 MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 800, SD 808, and SD 810, in ADSP's QDI Root-PD driver, untrusted arguments from User PD may cause integer overflow resulting in buffer overflow.

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 overflow vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon ADSP QDI Root-PD driver where untrusted arguments from User Protection Domain cause integer overflow, leading to buffer overflow. This is a critical flaw in the Application Digital Signal Processor driver affecting multiple Snapdragon chipset generations.

MitigationApply Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later; this is a firmware-level fix requiring OTA update from the device OEM. No workarounds available for end users.

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
Mdm9615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 400 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 412 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 616 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 device chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use system commands (e.g., 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android, or check 'Settings > About Phone' > 'Chipset' or 'Model' information) to determine the Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC model number
    Affected if The chipset matches any of these: Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Sd 400, Sd 410, Sd 412, Sd 615, or Sd 616
  2. Verify ADSP firmware version
    On Android devices, use 'adb shell' and check ADSP firmware version via 'cat /sys/kernel/debug/firmware_agent/adsp*' or consult the device's baseband/ADSP firmware information through OEM diagnostic tools
    Affected if The ADSP firmware version cannot be verified as patched, or shows a version prior to the OTA fix
  3. Check Android security patch level
    On Android devices, go to 'Settings > About Phone > Software Information' and look for 'Android security patch level' or use 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, indicating the firmware update has not been applied
  4. Confirm QDI Root-PD driver presence
    Examine the ADSP driver subsystem through 'ls /sys/kernel/debug/qdi/' or check ADSP subsystem logs for the QDI Root-PD driver component if accessible
    Affected if The QDI Root-PD driver is present and the firmware has not been updated to address the integer overflow vulnerability

If the device uses an affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Sd 400, Sd 410, Sd 412, Sd 615, or Sd 616) and the Android security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 or the ADSP firmware is unverified, the device is likely affected by CVE-2015-9118.

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 2018-04-05 or later; this is a firmware-level fix requiring OTA update from the device OEM. No workarounds available for end users.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level April 5, 2018 or later (contact OEM for device-specific firmware update)

  1. Verify the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. If the Security Patch Level is earlier than April 5, 2018, check with the device manufacturer (OEM) for available firmware updates that include the fix for CVE-2015-9118
  3. Apply the OEM-provided system update that includes the Android Security Patch Level of April 5, 2018 or later
  4. After updating, verify that the Security Patch Level reflects April 5, 2018 or a later date
  5. If no update is available from the OEM, consider replacing the device with a model that has received the security patch
Caveat OEM updates may have varying availability depending on device model and carrier; some older devices may not receive patches

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

Fix this in Mdm9615 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,080
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,128.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9118 — 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-2015-9118 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