Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9175

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

NVD · unedited

In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile, and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, 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, lack of input validation could lead to an untrusted pointer dereference in wv_dash_core_generic_verify().

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a memory safety vulnerability in the Widevine DRM component (wv_dash_core_generic_verify) in Android's media stack running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Lack of input validation allows an untrusted pointer dereference, potentially enabling memory corruption, arbitrary code execution, or denial of service. The vulnerability affects multiple Snapdragon chipset generations used in mobile, automotive, and wearable devices.

MitigationApply the April 2018 or later Android security patch level to receive the vendor fix. For device manufacturers/OEMs, this requires obtaining the patched firmware from Qualcomm and integrating it into the device software stack.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Mdm9206 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

Sd 400 FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Sd 410 FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the Qualcomm chipset model

Check the device specifications or use system information commands (e.g., 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop ro.hardware') to determine the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset variant

Affected if The chipset is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 400, or Sd 410
Check the baseband firmware version

Use Android diagnostic tools or baseband information commands (e.g., 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' or 'cat /proc/version') to retrieve the firmware version for the affected chipset

Affected if The firmware version corresponds to the listed affected products (Mdm9206 Firmware, Mdm9650 Firmware, Msm8909w Firmware, Sd 210 Firmware, Sd 212 Firmware, Sd 205 Firmware, Sd 400 Firmware, or Sd 410 Firmware)
Confirm Widevine DRM is in use

Verify that the device uses Widevine DRM for content protection by checking DRM configuration files or license information (e.g., check for Widevine CDM presence in /system/vendor/lib/mediadrm or via DRM info APIs)

Affected if Widevine DRM is enabled and the device plays protected content using the wv_dash_core_generic_verify module
Verify Android security patch level

Check the installed Android security patch level via 'Settings > About Phone > Security patch level' or command 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'

Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 2018, indicating the vendor fix has not been applied

A user is affected if their device contains one of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 400, or Sd 410) with unpatched firmware and has Widevine DRM enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply the April 2018 or later Android security patch level to receive the vendor fix. For device manufacturers/OEMs, this requires obtaining the patched firmware from Qualcomm and integrating it into the device software stack.

Recommended fix High confidence

Any Android device with security patch level dated 2018-04-05 or later contains the fix for this vulnerability

1. Identify the affected device model and its current Android version and security patch level.
2. Check if the device manufacturer has released an Android security update for April 2018 (2018-04-05) or later.
3. If available, apply the latest available Android security update from the device manufacturer.
4. Verify the security patch level after update by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security Patch Level.
5. Confirm the patch level shows a date of 2018-04-05 or later.
6. If no update is available from the manufacturer, consider migrating to a newer device that receives regular security updates.

Caveat Legacy devices may not receive Android security updates; some older devices may have reached end-of-life and no longer receive patches

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

14.0 hours of engineering $2,380

Get help mitigating

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

source.android.comVendor Advisory
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-9175 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-9175?

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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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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.3%

Affects: Mdm9206 Firmware

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware 14 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,380

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-9175 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References