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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9198

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 IPQ4019, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, 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, SD 850, and SDX20, integer underflow vulnerability in function qsee_register_log_buff may lead to arbitrary writing 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

Integer underflow vulnerability in the QSEE (Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment) function qsee_register_log_buff allows an attacker to write to arbitrary memory locations in the secure world. This is a critical memory corruption flaw in the trusted execution environment of Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, enabling potential privilege escalation from the normal world to compromise secure OS components.

MitigationApply the 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level, which includes the Qualcomm firmware fix for this integer underflow. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates from their OEM/carrier.

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
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9645 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 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 firmware model
    Check the device or system information to determine if the hardware uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon or Qualcomm modem chipset (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650). On Android, check /proc/cpuinfo, or review device specifications.
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm firmware models (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650).
  2. Determine the firmware version
    Query the Qualcomm firmware version through device diagnostics, modem logs, or by checking the baseband version string (accessible via AT commands on modems, or via Android system properties such as ro.baseband, ro.bootloader, or vendor-specific diagnostic tools).
    Affected if The firmware version is not known to be patched, or the device has not received the 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level from the OEM/carrier.
  3. Verify QSEE logging is active
    Check if the QSEE (Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment) logging feature is enabled or being used on the device. This may involve reviewing secure world logs, TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) diagnostics, or checking if applications utilize the qsee_register_log_buff function for logging.
    Affected if QSEE logging functionality is active or the device exposes QSEE-related diagnostic interfaces, indicating the vulnerable function could be invoked.
  4. Confirm security patch level
    On Android devices, verify the installed Android security patch level (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level). Compare this date to the known fixed patch level (2018-04-05 or later).
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, indicating the Qualcomm firmware fix for this integer underflow has not been applied.

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm firmware models (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650) and has not received the April 2018 or later Android security patch level containing the QSEE fix.

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 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level, which includes the Qualcomm firmware fix for this integer underflow. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates from their OEM/carrier.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level April 5, 2018 or later (any later monthly security update)

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. If the device shows a security patch level BEFORE April 5, 2018, it is vulnerable
  3. Update the device to the latest available Android security patch level by checking for system updates in Settings > System > Software Update or Settings > About Phone > System Updates
  4. If the device manufacturer has released a firmware update that includes the April 2018 security patch or later, apply that firmware update
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level now shows April 2018 or later
Caveat Firmware updates may not be available for older or end-of-life devices; some devices may no longer receive security updates from manufacturers

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2015-9198 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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