dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9149

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, Snapdragon Mobile, and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, and SD 850, in a DIAG ioctl handler, an untrusted pointer dereference can occur.

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

An untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the DIAG ioctl handler of multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset variants (MDM9206, MDM9650, SD series). The DIAG is a diagnostic interface, and the handler fails to properly validate pointers passed from userspace, potentially allowing kernel-level code execution or memory corruption.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level from April 2018 or later, which includes the vendor fix for this chipset-level vulnerability. Affected users should obtain firmware updates from their device OEMs.

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
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 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

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 chipset model
    Check the processor/chipset information using 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android devices, or check system information on embedded devices using 'lspci' (for PCIe cards) or 'cat /proc/device-tree/model' on ARM-based systems. Look for Qualcomm Snapdragon identifiers such as MDM9206, MDM9650, SD210, SD212, SD205, SD400, SD410, or SD412.
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the affected models: MDM9206, MDM9650, SD210, SD212, SD205, SD400, SD410, or SD412.
  2. Locate the DIAG device interface
    Search for DIAG device nodes on the system. Common paths include /dev/diag, /dev/diag_arm9, /dev/modem, or /dev/diagmond. Use the command 'ls -la /dev/diag*' or 'ls -la /dev/*diag*' to enumerate available DIAG device files.
    Affected if A DIAG device node exists and is accessible (readable/writable by the current user or group).
  3. Verify DIAG driver is loaded
    Check if the DIAG kernel driver is loaded by examining loaded modules or driver status. On Linux systems, use 'lsmod | grep -i diag' or check /sys/module for a diag module. On Android, also check 'getprop' for diag properties or review /proc/driver/ entries.
    Affected if The DIAG diagnostic driver is loaded and active in the kernel.
  4. Confirm DIAG ioctl interface accessibility
    Test whether the DIAG device allows ioctl operations. If you have appropriate permissions, attempt to access the DIAG device or review the device permissions using 'ls -l /dev/diag' or equivalent path. Check if the device has read/write permissions for the application or user in question.
    Affected if The DIAG ioctl interface is accessible (device is openable or has non-restricted permissions).

A user is affected if they are running on a device with an affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (MDM9206, MDM9650, or SD series variants) where the DIAG diagnostic interface is exposed and accessible on the system.

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 2018 or later, which includes the vendor fix for this chipset-level vulnerability. Affected users should obtain firmware updates from their device OEMs.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android devices with 2018-04-05 Security Patch Level or later (contact device manufacturer for specific firmware updates)

  1. 1. Identify the device model and current Android version
  2. 2. Check if the device manufacturer has released an Android security patch level dated 2018-04-05 or later
  3. 3. If available, apply the system software update containing the April 2018 Android Security Bulletin patches
  4. 4. Verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level and confirming it shows April 2018 or later
  5. 5. If the manufacturer has not released an update with the fix, consider flashing a custom ROM that incorporates the patched kernel/firmware or replace the device
Caveat Older devices may not receive further updates; flashing custom ROMs may void warranty and require device unlocking

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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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-2015-9149 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