CVE-2016-10434
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 · uneditedIn Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Automobile and Snapdragon Mobile SD 820 and SD 820A, the input to RPMB write response function is a buffer from HLOS that needs to be authenticated (using HMAC) and then processed. However, some of the processing occurs before the buffer is authenticated. The function will return various types of errors depending on the values of the `response` and `result` fields of the buffer before verifying the HMAC tag.
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 confidenceIn the RPMB write response function on Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 820/820A, the buffer from the High Level Operating System requires HMAC authentication before processing. However, the function reads and acts upon the `response` and `result` fields from the unauthenticated buffer before verifying the HMAC tag, allowing an attacker to potentially influence error handling or other processing with crafted values.
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 dataall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the processor modelCheck the device specifications or use system information tools (such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android or manufacturer documentation) to determine if the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 820 or SD 820A processorAffected if The device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 820 or SD 820A processor - all firmware versions of these processors are affected
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Determine if RPMB is enabledCheck the device's RPMB configuration - this typically involves examining /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/rpmb* or using RPMB management tools if available on the target deviceAffected if RPMB (Replay Protected Memory Block) functionality is enabled and in use on the device; the vulnerability exists in the RPMB write response function
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Check the Android security patch levelOn Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and look for the 'Android security patch level' field, or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADBAffected if The Android security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 - devices with earlier patch levels have not received the firmware-level fix
A device is affected if it uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 820 or SD 820A processor, has RPMB functionality enabled, and has an Android security patch level earlier than April 5, 2018
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level to affected devices. This is a firmware-level fix requiring Qualcomm processor microcode updates delivered through OEM security patches.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,856.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10434 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-10434 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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