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Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10481

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, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9650, QCA4531, QCA6174A, QCA6574AU, QCA6584, QCA6584AU, QCA9377, QCA9378, QCA9379, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 600, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, if WLAN FW receives the WMI_STA_SMPS_PARAM_CMDID ioctl in not-associated state, when the virtual channel handle is not assigned, the code doesn't check for NULL virtual channel handle, so an assert occurs.

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 NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon Wi-Fi firmware where the WMI_STA_SMPS_PARAM_CMDID ioctl fails to validate the virtual channel handle when the device is not in an associated state, causing a firmware assert that leads to denial of service or potential remote code execution.

MitigationApply the April 2018 or later Android security patch level to receive the vendor firmware update that adds proper NULL pointer validation for the virtual channel handle in the WMI command handler.

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
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 425 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 Wi-Fi chip model
    Check the system hardware or Wi-Fi adapter details to determine the chipset (e.g., via lspci, lsusb, or system information utilities)
    Affected if The chip model is one of: Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9650, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, or Sd 425
  2. Check the Wi-Fi firmware version
    Retrieve the Wi-Fi firmware version from the driver or system (e.g., via iw, wmic, or firmware extraction tools)
    Affected if The firmware version corresponds to any version of the affected chip models listed above (all versions are affected)
  3. Verify the WMI command support
    Confirm that the Wi-Fi driver supports WMI (Wireless Management Interface) commands, specifically the WMI_STA_SMPS_PARAM_CMDID ioctl
    Affected if The driver exposes WMI STA SMPS (Spatial Multiplexing Power Save) parameter commands
  4. Check Wi-Fi association state
    Monitor the current Wi-Fi connection state using network status tools (e.g., iwconfig, nmcli, or similar)
    Affected if The Wi-Fi interface is in a DISCONNECTED, SCANNING, or AUTHENTICATING state (not in an associated/connected state)
  5. Inspect for firmware assert logs
    Review system or Wi-Fi driver logs for firmware assert or error messages related to WMI_SMPS_PARAM
    Affected if Logs contain firmware assertion failures or NULL pointer dereference errors in the Wi-Fi firmware

The system is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Wi-Fi chip models and the WMI_STA_SMPS_PARAM_CMDID feature is active while the device is not in an associated state.

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 April 2018 or later Android security patch level to receive the vendor firmware update that adds proper NULL pointer validation for the virtual channel handle in the WMI command handler.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later (provided by device OEM)

  1. 1. Check the current Android security patch level on the affected device (Settings > About Phone > Security patch level)
  2. 2. If the security patch level is before 2018-04-05, the device is vulnerable
  3. 3. Apply the latest available Android security update from the device manufacturer that includes the 2018-04-05 patch level or later
  4. 4. After updating, verify the security patch level has been updated to April 2018 or later in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  5. 5. Confirm the WLAN functionality works correctly after the update
Caveat Firmware updates for older Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets may have limited vendor support; some devices may not receive further updates

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

Fix this in Mdm9607 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2016-10481 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