dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9160

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, MDM9607, MDM9635M, MDM9650, MSM8909W, 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, integer overflow may occur when values passed from HLOS (graphics driver busy time, and total time) in TZBSP_GFX_DCVS_UPDATE_ID are very large.

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

Integer overflow vulnerability in the TrustZone (TZBSP) graphics driver DVFS (Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling) subsystem on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. When the HLOS passes excessively large values for graphics driver busy time and total time to TZBSP_GFX_DCVS_UPDATE_ID, an integer overflow occurs that could allow privilege escalation from the Android HLOS to the trusted execution environment.

MitigationApply the April 2018 or later Android security patch level; contact device OEMs for firmware updates as this vulnerability resides in the TEE/TrustZone binary and cannot be patched via application-level updates.

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
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w 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

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 Qualcomm chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use system information to identify if the chipset is one of the affected models: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, or Sd 205
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed affected Qualcomm chipset models
  2. Check the firmware version
    Retrieve the firmware version from the device and compare it against the affected version ranges for the specific chipset model identified
    Affected if The firmware version falls within the affected ranges for the detected chipset
  3. Verify the TZBSP graphics DVFS component is present
    Inspect system or kernel configuration to determine if the TZBSP graphics driver DVFS subsystem (TZBSP_GFX_DCVS_UPDATE_ID) is present and accessible on the device
    Affected if The graphics DVFS component is present and callable from the HLOS
  4. Check TrustZone/TEE version
    Query the trusted execution environment version through available diagnostic or debugging interfaces if accessible
    Affected if The TrustZone version cannot be determined or is earlier than the fixed version
  5. Verify Android security patch level
    Check the Android system security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 2018

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets with firmware versions within the affected ranges and has the vulnerable TZBSP graphics DVFS component enabled, particularly if the Android security patch level is earlier than April 2018.

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 April 2018 or later Android security patch level; contact device OEMs for firmware updates as this vulnerability resides in the TEE/TrustZone binary and cannot be patched via application-level updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level May 2018 or later (which includes the fix for CVE-2015-9160)

  1. 1. Verify the current Android security patch level on the affected device by checking Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  2. 2. If the security patch level is earlier than May 2018, apply the latest available Android security update from your device manufacturer or carrier
  3. 3. Contact the device OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to request the April 2018 Android Security Bulletin patch (or subsequent patch) if not yet available
  4. 4. For embedded/IoT devices using these Qualcomm chipsets, obtain and flash the updated firmware from the chipset vendor that includes the 2018-04-05 or later security patch
Caveat Applying security updates may require device reboot; ensure proper backup of critical data before updating firmware

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,460
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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-2015-9160 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