dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10493

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, NPA routines on the rootPD that handle resource requests remoted over QDI may not validate pointers passed from user space which may result in guest OS memory corruption.

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

This is a pointer validation vulnerability in Qualcomm's NPA (Native Performance Application) routines running on the root PD (Protection Domain). The routines handle resource requests remoted over QDI (Qualcomm Debug Interface) and fail to validate pointers passed from user space, leading to guest OS memory corruption. This is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting multiple Snapdragon chipset generations.

MitigationApply the Android security patch released on or after April 5, 2018 to affected devices. This patches the vulnerable NPA routines in the Qualcomm chipset firmware. Users should verify their device has received the 2018-04-05 or later security patch level.

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 in the device
    Query the device hardware information using 'getprop ro.board.platform' or check /proc/cpuinfo for chipset identifiers such as Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, or Msm8909w
    Affected if The device uses any of the following chipsets: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, or Msm8909w
  2. Verify the firmware version
    Use 'getprop' commands to retrieve firmware build information: 'getprop ro.build.version.firmware' or check the baseband version with 'getprop gsm.version.baseband'
    Affected if The chipset matches an affected model AND the firmware is any version (all versions of the listed chipsets are vulnerable)
  3. Check the Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to retrieve the date of the applied security patch
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, or the property is empty or unavailable, indicating the patch has not been applied

The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, or Msm8909w) and the Android security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018.

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 on or after April 5, 2018 to affected devices. This patches the vulnerable NPA routines in the Qualcomm chipset firmware. Users should verify their device has received the 2018-04-05 or later security patch level.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later (which includes updated Qualcomm modem firmware)

  1. Apply the Android security patch level released 2018-04-05 or later to the affected device
  2. Contact your device manufacturer to confirm they have integrated the Qualcomm firmware fix for CVE-2016-10493
  3. Verify the installed security patch level is April 2018 or later via Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
Caveat Applying Android security updates may require device OEM support; some older devices may not receive this patch

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation10.0 h
  • Implementation20.0 h
  • Testing15.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
53.0 hours of engineering $9,290
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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-2016-10493 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