Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10471

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 Automobile and Snapdragon Mobile SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, and SD 820A, an unsigned RTIC health report susceptible to tampering by malware executing in the context of the HLOS may be requested.

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

An unsigned RTIC (Remote Telemetry Interface Circuit) health report in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A) can be tampered with by malware executing in the Android (HLOS) context. This allows an attacker with Android root/privileged access to manipulate the RTIC health report, potentially affecting system integrity monitoring functions.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level dated 2018-04-05 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Users should also ensure Google Play Protect and mobile security solutions are enabled to detect relevant malware.

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
Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 430 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 652 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820a 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 processor model
    Check the device specifications or use a system info app to identify the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor variant (SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650, SD 652, SD 820, or SD 820A)
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed Snapdragon variants (SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 625, SD 650, SD 652, SD 820, SD 820A)
  2. Check Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android Security Patch Level, or use 'adb shell settings get secure android.security_patch'
    Affected if The patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 (the fix was released in the April 5, 2018 security update)
  3. Verify root or privileged access status
    Check if the device bootloader is unlocked, if superuser (SU) binaries are present, or if apps have root/privileged permissions (check for 'su' in /system/xbin or use root checker apps)
    Affected if The device has root access or has apps running with privileged (elevated) Android permissions, which is required for the exploit to work

The device is affected if it uses an affected Snapdragon variant (SD 425/430/450/625/650/652/820/820A) with a security patch level before 2018-04-05 AND has root or privileged access present on the system.

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 level dated 2018-04-05 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Users should also ensure Google Play Protect and mobile security solutions are enabled to detect relevant malware.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later

  1. Verify the current Android security patch level on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Check for and install the latest Android security patch update from your device manufacturer
  3. Ensure the device receives the April 2018 security patch level or later, as this CVE was addressed in the 2018-04-05 security patch
  4. If your device manufacturer has not released an update containing the April 2018 security patch, contact the device vendor for firmware remediation
  5. For embedded/IoT devices using these Snapdragon variants, contact the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for firmware-level RTIC validation updates
Caveat Devices no longer receiving monthly security updates from manufacturers may require firmware updates from OEM or replacement

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

Fix this in Sd 425 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get help mitigating

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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-10471 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