dbcve.org
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9161

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 and Snapdragon Wear MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, and SD 810, TOCTOU condition could lead to a buffer overflow in function playready_reader_bind().

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 TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition in the playready_reader_bind() function on affected Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (MSM8909W, SD 210/212/205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810) allows a buffer overflow to occur, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution in the DRM/media subsystem.

MitigationApply Android security patches dated 2018-04-05 or later; verify device OEM has released and installed the corresponding firmware update for the specific Snapdragon variant.

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
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
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

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 system information to determine the exact Snapdragon variant (MSM8909W, SD 210/212/205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, or SD 810)
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon variants (MSM8909W, SD 210, SD 212, SD 205, SD 400, SD 410, SD 412, SD 615, SD 616, SD 415, SD 617, SD 650, SD 652, SD 800, SD 808, or SD 810)
  2. Verify the firmware version
    Check the installed firmware version on the device - this may be visible in device about settings, boot logs, or by querying the baseband/modem version via AT commands or system properties
    Affected if The firmware is any version on any of the affected Snapdragon variants (all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Confirm PlayReady DRM availability
    Determine if the device supports or uses Microsoft PlayReady DRM - this may be visible in DRM licensing information, media app settings, or by inspecting the DRM configuration on the device
    Affected if PlayReady DRM is enabled or accessible on the device, as the vulnerability exists in the playready_reader_bind() function

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (MSM8909W, SD 210/212/205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 615/16/415, SD 617, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810) with any firmware version and has PlayReady DRM functionality present.

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 patches dated 2018-04-05 or later; verify device OEM has released and installed the corresponding firmware update for the specific Snapdragon variant.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level April 2018 or later

  1. Update the device to Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later
  2. This typically involves applying the monthly Android security update from your device manufacturer or carrier
  3. Verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level

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

Fix this in Msm8909w Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2015-9161 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