dbcve.org
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10496

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 MDM9635M, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, and SD 810, A NULL pointer dereference can occur during an SSL handshake.

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 exists in Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (MDM9635M, SD 210/212/205, SD 410/12, SD 450, SD 615/16/415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, SD 810) during SSL handshake. The flaw can cause a crash or potentially enable remote code execution when a malformed SSL handshake is processed, given its CVSS 9.8 critical severity.

MitigationApply Android security patch level dated 2018-04-05 or later, which includes the Qualcomm firmware update addressing this NULL pointer dereference in the SSL handshake processing.

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
Mdm9635m 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 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 412 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 615 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 in the device
    Check device specifications or use commands like 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android, or check the baseband firmware version via 'AT+CGMR' or 'atgen' commands
    Affected if The processor model matches one of: MDM9635M, SD 210, SD 212, SD 205, SD 410, SD 412, SD 450, SD 615, SD 616, SD 415, SD 625, SD 650, SD 652, SD 808, or SD 810
  2. Verify the Android security patch level
    On Android, go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 or is not listed
  3. Check the baseband or MODEM firmware version
    Use 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' or 'getprop ro.baseband' via ADB shell, or check via the device's modem settings
    Affected if The baseband firmware is from an older Qualcomm release prior to the 2018-04-05 patch cycle
  4. Confirm SSL/TLS usage on the device
    Review whether the device or application processes SSL/TLS connections, particularly in components that handle HTTPS or other SSL-based communications
    Affected if The device actively uses SSL/TLS for network communications, making it a potential trigger for the vulnerable code path

The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon processor models and its Android security patch level predates the 2018-04-05 update, since all firmware versions of these processors are vulnerable.

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 dated 2018-04-05 or later, which includes the Qualcomm firmware update addressing this NULL pointer dereference in the SSL handshake processing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android devices with 2018-04-05 or later security patch level (monthly security update)

  1. Identify your Android device model and ensure it is supported by the device OEM for monthly security updates
  2. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  3. If the security patch level is earlier than April 5, 2018, contact your device OEM or mobile carrier for the available security update
  4. Apply the available Android security update that includes the fix for CVE-2016-10496
  5. Verify after update that the Security Patch Level shows April 5, 2018 or later

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

Fix this in Mdm9635m Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10496 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-10496 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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