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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10484

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, Snapdragon Mobile, and Snapdragon Wear IPQ4019, MDM9206, MDM9607, 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 820A, SD 835, and SDX20, if a RPMB listener is registered with a very small buffer size, the calculation of the maximum transfer size for read and write operations may underflow, resulting in buffer overflow.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors' RPMB (Replay Protected Memory Block) subsystem. When an RPMB listener is registered with an insufficiently small buffer size, the calculation for maximum transfer size underflows, causing a buffer overflow that could allow code execution in the secure storage context.

MitigationApply the Android security patch released April 2018 or later, which includes the fix for this Qualcomm Snapdragon firmware vulnerability. If patches are unavailable for specific devices, consider replacement with updated hardware.

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
Ipq4019 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 the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor model
    Check the system's hardware information to determine the exact Qualcomm chip model. On Android devices, this can be found in /proc/cpuinfo or through settings. On other embedded systems, check the board or module documentation.
    Affected if The processor model is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650
  2. Verify the firmware version
    Retrieve the firmware version for the identified Qualcomm component. On Android, this may be available through Qualcomm's diagnostic tools or via /sys/firmware or vendor-specific interfaces. Check vendor documentation for firmware version retrieval methods.
    Affected if The firmware version is any version, since all versions of the affected products are vulnerable
  3. Confirm RPMB subsystem is in use
    Check if the Replay Protected Memory Block (RPMB) partition is mounted or accessible on the system. On Linux-based systems, check /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/block/*/rpmb or use mmc utils to query RPMB status.
    Affected if RPMB is actively used or accessible on the device
  4. Check for the specific vulnerable condition
    Examine RPMB listener registration configurations. This typically requires access to low-level firmware or secure OS debugging interfaces. Look for any RPMB listener or partition configured with buffer sizes that could trigger the underflow condition.
    Affected if An RPMB listener is registered with a buffer size small enough to cause the maximum transfer size calculation to underflow (typically near or below the minimum supported size)

The system is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Ipq4019, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650) with RPMB functionality enabled, as all firmware versions of these products contain the vulnerability.

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 2018 or later, which includes the fix for this Qualcomm Snapdragon firmware vulnerability. If patches are unavailable for specific devices, consider replacement with updated hardware.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later (or device vendor-specific firmware containing the April 2018 Qualcomm security patch)

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
  2. Update the device to the latest Android security update available from the device manufacturer
  3. Ensure the Android security patch level is 2018-04-05 or later, which contains the fix for CVE-2016-10484
  4. If the device manufacturer has not released an update with the April 2018 security patch level, consider upgrading to a device model that receives regular security updates
  5. For embedded/IoT devices using the affected firmware (Ipq4019, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650), contact the device vendor for firmware updates incorporating the Qualcomm fix
Caveat Devices that are no longer supported by manufacturers may not receive this security update; legacy devices may need replacement

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2016-10484 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