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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9176

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 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, Input_address is registered as a shared buffer and is not properly checked before use in OEMCrypto_Generic_Sign(). This allows addresses to be accessed that reside in secure/CP memory.

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 Android devices with affected Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, the OEMCrypto_Generic_Sign() function fails to properly validate the Input_address buffer before use. Since Input_address is registered as a shared buffer but lacks proper bounds/validity checks, an attacker can access addresses residing in secure/CP (Content Protection) memory regions intended to be protected.

MitigationApply the Qualcomm security patch (2018-04-05 or later security patch level) to affected devices to remediate the improper buffer validation in OEMCrypto_Generic_Sign().

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
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 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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 Snapdragon processor model
    Check the device specifications or use 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' to identify the processor. Look for model numbers Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd210, Sd212, Sd205, Sd400, or Sd410.
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed affected Snapdragon processor models.
  2. Check the Snapdragon firmware version
    Query the modem or processor firmware version through Android system settings under 'About phone' > 'Baseband' or use 'getprop' commands such as 'getprop ro.baseband' or 'getprop gsm.version.baseband'.
    Affected if The firmware version is present and corresponds to an affected version range.
  3. Verify content protection or DRM is in use
    Check if Widevine DRM is enabled by examining the device DRM configuration. Use 'dumpsys media.drm' or check for Widevine CDM presence in /system/vendor/etc/ or /etc/ widevine directories.
    Affected if Widevine or other Content Protection DRM systems are actively in use on the device.
  4. Confirm the Android security patch level
    Check the installed security patch level in Android Settings under 'About phone' > 'Android security patch level' or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, indicating the vulnerability remains unpatched.

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Snapdragon processors (Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd210, Sd212, Sd205, Sd400, Sd410) with firmware where the OEMCrypto_Generic_Sign function is exposed and the Android security patch level predates the 2018-04-05 Qualcomm security update.

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 Qualcomm security patch (2018-04-05 or later security patch level) to affected devices to remediate the improper buffer validation in OEMCrypto_Generic_Sign().

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2015-9176 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
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