dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9180

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, MDM9650, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 600, 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, the response pointer passed from user space to SDMX_process is not checked before it is used. If the given response buffer length is smaller than 16 bytes, the response values will be written to a memory outside the buffer, possibly in the secure memory area.

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 buffer overflow vulnerability in the SDMX_process function in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors allows a user-space caller to pass an undersized response buffer (< 16 bytes). The function does not validate the response pointer or buffer length before writing, causing data to be written beyond the buffer boundary into potentially secure memory regions.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later from the device OEM/carrier. This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a system update; individual developers cannot apply independent fixes.

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
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 412 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 Snapdragon processor model
    Check system information or /proc/cpuinfo to identify the processor chip (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 820a, Sd 410, Sd 412)
    Affected if The processor model matches any of the affected products listed in the CVE (Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 820a, Sd 410, Sd 412)
  2. Check the baseband or modem firmware version
    Use AT commands (e.g., ATI, AT+CGMR) or check /proc/version to retrieve the modem firmware version information
    Affected if The firmware version is present and the device uses an affected Snapdragon processor from step 1
  3. Verify the Android security patch level
    Check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via adb
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, indicating the firmware fix has not been applied
  4. Confirm SDMX functionality is in use
    Review if the device uses SDMX (Secure Data Management eXchange) services for content protection; this is typically used in media/DRM scenarios
    Affected if The device actively uses SDMX for processing and the conditions from steps 1-3 indicate an unpatched system

A user is affected if the device contains a listed Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 820a, Sd 410, or Sd 412) with a security patch level earlier than 2018-04-05 and the SDMX feature is in use.

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 Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later from the device OEM/carrier. This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a system update; individual developers cannot apply independent fixes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later (or OEM-specific firmware update containing the April 2018 security bulletin)

  1. Update the device to Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later
  2. If the device OEM provides a specific firmware update for your model (MDM9206, MDM9650, SD 210/212/205, SD 410/412, SD 820a), apply that firmware update
  3. After updating, verify the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level shows April 2018 or later

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
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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-2015-9180 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