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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9166

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 IPQ4019, MDM9206, MDM9607, 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 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, and SD 850, DRM provisioning mechanisms used in QSEE applications have a feature to prevent further provisioning. This is done by creating an SFS file called 'finalize_prov_flag.data' at the end of provisioning. When this feature is enabled, provisioning calls check for the existence of the file in order to decide whether to do provisioning or not. Current implementation allows provisioning without sufficient checks.

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

In Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Mobile, Wear, Automobile), the DRM provisioning mechanism in QSEE includes a finalization feature that creates a file 'finalize_prov_flag.data' to prevent re-provisioning. The vulnerability allows provisioning to proceed without properly checking for this file's existence, enabling unauthorized or repeated DRM provisioning despite the finalization protection being enabled.

MitigationApply the appropriate Android security patch level from April 5, 2018 or later, or obtain vendor-specific firmware updates that address this QSEE DRM provisioning bypass. This is a platform-level fix requiring system/firmware updates rather than application-level changes.

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
Ipq4019 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820a 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

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the chipset model
    Check the device specifications or system information to determine the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset model (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Sd 820a, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, or Sd 212)
    Affected if The device uses any of the following chipsets: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Sd 820a, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, or Sd 212
  2. Verify QSEE DRM provisioning is in use
    Determine if the device utilizes Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment (QSEE) for DRM provisioning functionality - this is typically present in devices with DRM protection for media content
    Affected if QSEE DRM provisioning is enabled or configured on the device
  3. Check for the finalize protection file
    Inspect the secure filesystem or TEE storage for the presence of 'finalize_prov_flag.data' - note this file resides in protected QSEE storage and may not be accessible from the Android OS
    Affected if The file 'finalize_prov_flag.data' exists in the QSEE secure storage area and provisioning can still be performed (indicating the bypass vulnerability)

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Sd 820a, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, or Sd 212) and utilizes QSEE DRM provisioning functionality, as the vulnerability allows provisioning to bypass the finalization protection mechanism.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the appropriate Android security patch level from April 5, 2018 or later, or obtain vendor-specific firmware updates that address this QSEE DRM provisioning bypass. This is a platform-level fix requiring system/firmware updates rather than application-level changes.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $880
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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-2015-9166 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
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