dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9189

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 Mobile and Snapdragon Wear IPQ4019, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 600, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 808, and SD 810, processing of TZ application command in tz_app_cmd_handler function could lead to potential content disclosure of secure 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

This vulnerability exists in Qualcomm's Trusted Execution Environment (TZ) software, specifically in the tz_app_cmd_handler function. Improper processing of TZ application commands allows potential content disclosure of secure memory, enabling an attacker with local or physical access to potentially read sensitive data from protected TZ memory regions.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level from 2018-04-05 or later, which includes the corrected Qualcomm TZ firmware. Users should verify their device has received the OEM firmware update addressing this CVE.

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
Mdm9615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ipq4019 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 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 Qualcomm chipset model
    Check /proc/cpuinfo, /sys/devices/system/cpu/, or use 'lshw' command to list hardware components. Look for chipset identifiers such as Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Ipq4019, Msm8909w, or Sd 210.
    Affected if The chipset matches any of the affected models listed in the CVE (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Ipq4019, Msm8909w, or Sd 210).
  2. Check the TZ firmware version
    Inspect the TZ (Trusted Zone) firmware version. On Qualcomm devices this is typically located in /vendor/firmware/ or accessible via 'cat /sys/firmware/devicetree/base/model' or 'getprop ro.hardware'. Use 'dmesg | grep -i tz' to look for TZ-related kernel messages showing firmware version.
    Affected if The TZ firmware version cannot be determined or shows a version predating the 2018-04-05 security patch.
  3. Verify Android security patch level
    On Android devices, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to retrieve the installed security patch level. This value indicates when the last Android security update was applied.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 or is not set, indicating the TZ vulnerability fix has not been applied.
  4. Check for TZ application handler access
    Review system logs or audit access to /dev/tz* device nodes. Use 'ls -la /dev/tz*' to list Trusted Execution Environment device interfaces and check for unusual access patterns or logs indicating tz_app_cmd_handler invocation.
    Affected if The device exposes TZ device interfaces and logs show command handler activity without evidence of patched TZ firmware.

A defender is affected if their device uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Ipq4019, Msm8909w, or Sd 210) and the TZ firmware or Android security patch level predates the 2018-04-05 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 Android security patch level from 2018-04-05 or later, which includes the corrected Qualcomm TZ firmware. Users should verify their device has received the OEM firmware update addressing this CVE.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,260
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,016.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9189 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-9189 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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