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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10448

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, a simultaneous command post for addSA or updateSA on same SA leads to memory corruption. APIs addSA and updateSA APIs access the global variable ipsec_sa_list[] outside of mutex protection.

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

A race condition exists in the IPsec implementation of affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chips where the addSA and updateSA APIs access the global variable ipsec_sa_list[] without proper mutex synchronization. When these functions are called simultaneously on the same Security Association, concurrent access leads to memory corruption.

MitigationApply the Android security patch from April 2018 or later which contains the proper mutex protection for the ipsec_sa_list[] global variable access. For embedded/custom builds, add mutex locks around all accesses to ipsec_sa_list[] in the addSA and updateSA code paths.

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 device model and chipset
    Check the device or module model number to confirm it is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650. These are Qualcomm Snapdragon modem modules.
    Affected if The device uses one of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon modem variants.
  2. Check installed firmware version
    Retrieve the firmware version from the device using commands such as 'at+cgmr' (for modems), 'cat /proc/version', or through the device's system information interface. Compare this version against the April 2018 Android security patch level.
    Affected if The firmware is any version prior to the April 2018 security patch, or the patch level cannot be verified.
  3. Confirm IPsec is enabled
    Check if IPsec is configured or active on the device. On Linux systems, examine running IPsec status with 'ip xfrm status' or check for IPsec configuration files in /etc/ipsec.d/, /etc/racoon/, or similar paths depending on the IPsec implementation used.
    Affected if IPsec is enabled and actively processing Security Associations on the affected device.
  4. Verify mutex protection in IPsec code
    If firmware binary or source code access is available, examine the addSA and updateSA functions in the IPsec implementation. Look for mutex lock/unlock calls surrounding access to the ipsec_sa_list[] global variable.
    Affected if The code lacks mutex synchronization around ipsec_sa_list[] access in addSA and updateSA functions, indicating the vulnerability is present.

You are affected if your device uses one of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon modems, has IPsec enabled, and is running firmware without the April 2018 security patch that adds mutex protection.

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 from April 2018 or later which contains the proper mutex protection for the ipsec_sa_list[] global variable access. For embedded/custom builds, add mutex locks around all accesses to ipsec_sa_list[] in the addSA and updateSA code paths.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level April 5, 2018 or later (which includes patched Qualcomm MDM9206/MDM9607/MDM9615/MDM9625/MDM9635M/MDM9640/MDM9645/MDM9650 firmware)

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device via Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, apply any available Android system updates from the device manufacturer
  3. After updating, verify the security patch level is April 5, 2018 or later via Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  4. Confirm the modem/baseband firmware has been updated as part of the security update
Caveat Modem firmware updates are typically applied via carrier or manufacturer updates; ensure device has adequate battery 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
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2016-10448 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