dbcve.org
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10442

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 MDM9640, SDM630, MSM8976, MSM8937, SDM845, MSM8976, and MSM8952, when running module or kernel code with improper access control allowing writing to arbitrary regions of memory, the user may utilize this vector to alter module executable code.

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 is an access control vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile chipset firmware (baseband/modprocessor) that allows writing to arbitrary memory regions. The improper access control permits a user to alter module executable code, potentially achieving code execution at elevated privilege levels.

MitigationApply the Android security patch released April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the corrected firmware for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon variants (MDM9640, SDM630, MSM8976, MSM8937, SDM845, MSM8952). Device OEMs must push OTA updates with the patched firmware.

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
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sdm630 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8976 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8937 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sdm845 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8952 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 chipset model
    Run 'getprop ro.hardware' or check /proc/cpuinfo to retrieve the chipset identifier. Alternatively, check 'getprop ro.product.board' or review the device specifications for the Snapdragon model number.
    Affected if The chipset matches one of these affected models: MDM9640, SDM630, MDM9650, MSM8976, MSM8937, SDM845, or MSM8952.
  2. Check the baseband firmware version
    Run 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' to retrieve the baseband/modem processor firmware version. On some devices, this may also appear as 'ril.baseband.version' or be accessible via AT command *#06# or *#8378# depending on the carrier.
    Affected if The baseband firmware is present and corresponds to an unpatched version on any of the affected chipset models listed above.
  3. Verify the Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to check the installed security patch date. This indicates when the device last received Android security updates.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, or the property returns empty or an older date, indicating the firmware correction has not been applied.
  4. Confirm the modem processor is active
    Check that the device has cellular connectivity capability and a baseband/modem subsystem. This vulnerability exists in the modem processor firmware, so devices without cellular modems (Wi-Fi only tablets, for example) are not affected.
    Affected if The device has an active cellular modem using one of the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon baseband processors.

The device is affected if it uses any of the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (MDM9640, SDM630, MDM9650, MSM8976, MSM8937, SDM845, MSM8952) and the baseband firmware has not been updated to include the April 2018 security patch.

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 Android security patch released April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the corrected firmware for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon variants (MDM9640, SDM630, MSM8976, MSM8937, SDM845, MSM8952). Device OEMs must push OTA updates with the patched firmware.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later (contact device manufacturer for specific firmware version as fixes are delivered through carrier/manufacturer OTA updates)

  1. Identify the current Android security patch level on affected devices by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Contact the device manufacturer (e.g., Samsung, LG, Google, etc.) to obtain the firmware update containing the 2018-04-05 or later Android security patch level
  3. Apply the manufacturer-provided OTA (Over-The-Air) update or flash the updated firmware
  4. Verify the security patch level has been updated to 2018-04-05 or later by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  5. For enterprise or embedded deployments, ensure the Qualcomm firmware blobs are also updated to versions containing the access control fix
Caveat Firmware updates may void warranties or require carrier approval; some older devices may not receive updates

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

Fix this in Mdm9640 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,060
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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-2016-10442 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