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Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10486

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 MDM9640, MDM9645, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 450, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, and SD 820A, PD failure reason string from user PD is used directly in root PD, so if the buffer parameter is non-NULL terminated in Diag F3 APIs, a buffer overread 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

Buffer overread vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors' Diag F3 APIs where a PD failure reason string from user PD is passed directly to root PD without proper NULL termination validation, causing out-of-bounds read when the buffer parameter is non-NULL terminated.

MitigationApply Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later, which addresses this vulnerability in affected Snapdragon Mobile and Automobile processors.

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
Mdm9645 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 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 617 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 625 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 Snapdragon processor model
    Check the device specifications or use commands like 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android devices to identify the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset model number (e.g., Mdm9640, Sd 625)
    Affected if The identified model matches any of these: Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 450, Sd 617, Sd 625
  2. Verify firmware version is in affected range
    Query the firmware version through device diagnostics or system information screens. The exact method varies by device manufacturer but is typically found in 'About Phone' or through Qualcomm's diagnostic tools
    Affected if The device firmware is any version of the affected Snapdragon models listed (all versions are affected)
  3. Confirm Diag F3 API feature is in use
    Determine if the device uses Diag (Diagnostic) F3 API functionality. This is typically used by carrier diagnostic tools, debugging services, or manufacturer test modes. Check running services or installed diagnostic packages
    Affected if The device has Diag F3 API functionality enabled and actively used, as the vulnerability triggers when processing PD failure reason strings through this interface
  4. Check Android security patch level
    On Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' command to see the installed security patch level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, indicating the vulnerability has not been addressed

The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon models (Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 450, Sd 617, Sd 625) with any firmware version AND the Android security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05.

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 Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later, which addresses this vulnerability in affected Snapdragon Mobile and Automobile processors.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later (specific to device manufacturer/carrier)

  1. Check current Android security patch level on the device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Software Info > Security patch level
  2. If the security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, the device is vulnerable
  3. Contact the device manufacturer or mobile carrier for the available Android security update containing the April 2018 patch level or later
  4. Apply the available Android security update through Settings > System > Software Update > Check for Updates
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level now shows April 5, 2018 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Info > Security patch level
Caveat Updating to the April 2018 security patch may require significant system updates; some older devices may no longer receive patches from manufacturers

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

Fix this in Mdm9640 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2016-10486 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