dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10487

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 MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, in a QuRT API function, an untrusted pointer dereference can occur.

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 untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the QuRT (Qualcomm Real-Time) API function in multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset firmware versions for mobile, automotive, and wearable devices. This memory corruption issue allows potential arbitrary code execution or denial of service due to improper input validation on pointer references within the QuRT API.

MitigationApply Android security patch levels released on or after April 5, 2018, or obtain firmware updates from device OEMs/Qualcomm for affected Snapdragon-based devices. For embedded/IoT deployments, coordinate with hardware vendors for QuRT firmware patches.

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
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9645 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w 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 chipset model
    Query the device or system for its chipset identifier. On Android, this can be done via 'getprop ro.hardware' or by inspecting /proc/cpuinfo. For embedded devices, check the BOM (Bill of Materials) or device documentation.
    Affected if The chipset is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, or Msm8909w
  2. Determine the firmware version
    Retrieve the firmware version for the identified Qualcomm chipset. On Android devices, use 'getprop' commands (e.g., 'getprop ro.build.version.all_codename', 'getprop ro.qualcomm.version'). For IoT/embedded devices, consult vendor documentation or access the baseband/modem firmware version via AT commands or debug interfaces.
    Affected if The firmware version matches any of the listed affected chipsets regardless of version number (all versions of the listed firmware are affected)
  3. Verify QuRT API exposure
    Inspect whether the QuRT (Qualcomm Real-Time) API is accessible or in use on the device. This may require examining the baseband processor logs, checking for QuRT-related services running, or reviewing the modem firmware configuration. On Android, examine /system/lib/libQSEEComAPI.so or similar Qualcomm library references.
    Affected if The QuRT API is present and accessible on the device, as the vulnerability exists within this specific API function

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipset firmware (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Msm8909w) and the QuRT API is accessible, since all versions of these firmware contain the untrusted pointer dereference 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Android security patch levels released on or after April 5, 2018, or obtain firmware updates from device OEMs/Qualcomm for affected Snapdragon-based devices. For embedded/IoT deployments, coordinate with hardware vendors for QuRT firmware patches.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2016-10487 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