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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2016-10391

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-08-18
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 all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, the length in an HCI command is not properly checked for validity.

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 · moderate confidence

Missing length validation in the Bluetooth Host Controller Interface (HCI) command processing within Qualcomm's Linux kernel implementations for Android CAF releases allows potential memory corruption or arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of HCI command length fields before processing, which could enable remote attackers to trigger buffer overflows via specially crafted Bluetooth packets.

MitigationApply Qualcomm/CAF vendor patches for affected Android releases; this kernel-level vulnerability requires a system update containing the corrected Bluetooth stack code.

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
AndroidOperating 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 device chipset vendor
    Check the device specifications or use 'getprop' command (adb shell getprop ro.hardware) to determine if the device uses a Qualcomm chipset
    Affected if The device uses a Qualcomm chipset and runs Android - this vulnerability exists in Qualcomm's Bluetooth HCI implementation for Android CAF releases
  2. Verify Bluetooth is enabled
    Check if Bluetooth is turned on in the device settings or via 'settings get global bluetooth_on' command
    Affected if Bluetooth is enabled - the vulnerability is triggered via specially crafted Bluetooth packets, so an active Bluetooth interface is required for exploitation
  3. Confirm Android version
    Check the Android version via 'settings get global os_version' or in Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Any Android version on a Qualcomm-based device is potentially affected since the summary indicates all versions contain the vulnerable code
  4. Check for vendor security updates
    Review the device's security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level - this indicates whether the vendor has applied the Qualcomm fix
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the date when the vendor released the fix for this CVE (Qualcomm typically releases fixes in monthly CAF updates)

The environment is affected if the device uses a Qualcomm chipset, runs any Android version, has Bluetooth enabled, and has not received a vendor security update containing the Qualcomm HCI length validation 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 Qualcomm/CAF vendor patches for affected Android releases; this kernel-level vulnerability requires a system update containing the corrected Bluetooth stack code.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Check your Android device for available system updates by going to Settings > System > Security & privacy > System updates
  2. Apply the latest Android security patch update from your device manufacturer
  3. If your device is no longer receiving official security updates, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular security patches
  4. For enterprise/IT-managed Android devices, ensure Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies enforce the latest available system updates
  5. Verify the installed patch level includes the fix for this vulnerability (check Settings > System > Security & privacy > Security patch level)
Caveat The security patch approach may not be available for older devices that have reached end-of-life and no longer receive manufacturer updates

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA12.0 h
60.0 hours of engineering $10,240
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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-2016-10391 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