dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2015-9211

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, 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, while provising the Playready module, a buffer overread may occur if the message passed is large.

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

Buffer overread vulnerability in the PlayReady DRM module on affected Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processors and baseband chips. When processing large messages, the module fails to properly validate bounds, allowing reading beyond allocated buffer boundaries. This is a firmware-level flaw in the baseband/processor that is triggered when the device processes certain PlayReady content or messages.

MitigationApply Android security patch level from April 2018 or later, or obtain vendor-specific firmware update for affected devices. Users of vulnerable devices should avoid processing untrusted PlayReady content until patched.

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
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 your device chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use system information tools (such as settings > about phone, or *#*#4636#*#* on Android) to determine the exact Qualcomm Snapdragon or modem chipset model number
    Affected if The chipset matches any of: Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 400, or Sd 410
  2. Check baseband/modem firmware version
    Access the baseband version through Android settings (About Phone > Baseband Version) or by running 'at+ver' command in modem diagnostic mode, or check via *#*#726633#*#* if available
    Affected if The firmware version is present on any of the affected chipset models listed (all versions of these chips are vulnerable)
  3. Verify PlayReady DRM is in use
    Check if the device supports and uses PlayReady DRM for content protection - this can be observed in DRM information settings (Settings > Widevine DRM or similar) or by inspecting content playback logs when playing protected media
    Affected if PlayReady DRM is enabled or the device processes PlayReady-protected content
  4. Check Android security patch level
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android Security Patch Level to see the installed patch date
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 2018 (patches released April 2018 or later contain the fix)

Your device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 400, Sd 410) with baseband firmware and the Android security patch level is before April 2018.

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 Android security patch level from April 2018 or later, or obtain vendor-specific firmware update for affected devices. Users of vulnerable devices should avoid processing untrusted PlayReady content until patched.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later (or equivalent OEM firmware update containing the April 2018 Qualcomm security fix)

  1. Apply Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later to receive the CVE-2015-9211 fix
  2. Verify the installed Android security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  3. If the device does not support the April 2018 or later security patch, contact the device manufacturer or carrier for available firmware updates that address this vulnerability
  4. For embedded/IoT devices using the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon components (MDM9206, MDM9650, MSM8909W, SD series), obtain and apply firmware updates from the original equipment manufacturer that include the Qualcomm fix
Caveat Devices no longer receiving monthly security patches from OEMs may not receive this fix and may require replacement or extended support from the device vendor

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,840
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,744.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9211 — 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-2015-9211 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