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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10421

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 Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, 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 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, key material is not always cleared properly.

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 in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets allows cryptographic key material to remain in memory after use instead of being properly cleared. An attacker with physical access or malware capable of reading device memory could potentially recover sensitive cryptographic keys used for encryption, authentication, or secure communications.

MitigationApply the 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level to affected devices. For end-of-life devices unable to receive official patches, consider device replacement as no workarounds exist for improper key clearing at the firmware level.

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
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 modem chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use terminal commands such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop' to identify the chipset model (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650)
    Affected if The chipset model matches any of the affected models: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650
  2. Verify the Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number, or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' in terminal to check the installed security patch date
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 or is not displayed (indicating the device is not receiving official patches)
  3. Confirm firmware version is unpatched
    Check the baseband version or modem firmware version via 'getprop' commands such as 'getprop ro.baseband' or check the modem partition if accessible
    Affected if The device uses one of the affected chipset models and the security patch level has not been updated to the 2018-04-05 patch or later

If the device contains any of the affected Qualcomm modem chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650) and the Android security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, the device is likely affected by improper cryptographic key clearing in memory.

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 to affected devices. For end-of-life devices unable to receive official patches, consider device replacement as no workarounds exist for improper key clearing at the firmware level.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later (contact device manufacturer for specific firmware version)

  1. 1. Identify the device manufacturer and model that contains the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon MDM chipset (MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, or MDM9650)
  2. 2. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  3. 3. If the security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, apply any available system updates from the device manufacturer
  4. 4. Verify the device has updated to Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later
  5. 5. If no OTA update is available from the device manufacturer, contact the device OEM for a firmware/modem update containing the security fix
Caveat Updating to newer Android security patches may have compatibility implications with older apps or configurations; ensure backup before applying updates

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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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-2016-10421 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