CVE-2015-9137
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 Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, several EFS2 DIAG command handlers are not calling fs_diag_access_check().
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 confidenceMultiple EFS2 (Embedded File System 2) DIAG command handlers in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors fail to invoke the fs_diag_access_check() function, bypassing access control validation and potentially allowing unauthorized access to the embedded file system.
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 versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 the chipset modelCheck the device hardware specifications or use AT commands (AT+CGMM or similar) to query the chipset. Confirm it is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650.Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm MDM chipset models.
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Check the firmware versionQuery the firmware version via AT commands (such as AT+CGMR) or through the device's system information. Compare against the affected list which includes all versions of the listed chipsets.Affected if The firmware version matches any of the affected Qualcomm MDM variants.
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Verify Android patch levelCheck the device's Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB.Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 2018.
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Confirm DIAG interface accessCheck if the DIAG interface is accessible on the device. This is typically exposed via /dev/diag or /dev/pts devices. Attempt to list available DIAG commands using diagnostic tools or check /proc/ diag/diag_state if accessible.Affected if The DIAG interface is accessible without elevated privileges.
A device is affected if it uses one of the listed Qualcomm MDM chipsets with firmware predating the April 2018 security patch and has an accessible DIAG interface that could accept EFS2 commands without access control validation.
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 the Android security patch released April 2018 or later, which includes the fix for this access control bypass in the EFS2 DIAG command handlers. Organizations should verify device patch levels and coordinate with OEMs/carriers for updates.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9137 — 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-2015-9137 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
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