dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10498

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, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 810, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, and Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, stopping of the DTR prematurely causes micro kernel to be stuck. This can be triggered with a timing change injectable in RACH procedure.

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 denial-of-service vulnerability in the Qualcomm Snapdragon baseband/modem firmware where prematurely stopping the DTR (Data Terminal Ready) signal during the RACH (Random Access Channel) procedure causes the micro kernel to become stuck and unresponsive. The issue is triggered by an injectable timing change in the cellular RACH procedure.

MitigationApply Android security patch level from April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the vendor fix for this baseband firmware vulnerability.

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
Mdm9615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9645 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 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 device's baseband/modem hardware
    Check the device documentation, spec sheet, or FCC filings to determine the specific Qualcomm modem chip model (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, or Mdm9655)
    Affected if The device uses any of the following modems: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, or Mdm9655
  2. Retrieve the current baseband firmware version
    Connect to the device's diagnostic interface and query the baseband firmware version using AT command "AT+CGMR" or through the device's engineering mode / about phone section
    Affected if The reported firmware version matches any of the listed affected modem models (all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Verify if the cellular RACH procedure is exposed
    Confirm whether the device has active cellular connectivity (LTE/3G) and can be triggered to perform RACH (Random Access Channel) procedures. This may require monitoring baseband logs or using RF testing equipment
    Affected if The device has cellular radio capability and can perform RACH procedures, making the timing-based attack surface accessible
  4. Check the applied Android security patch level
    On Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number (tap 7 times) > Security Patch Level to view the installed security patch date
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than April 5, 2018, indicating the vendor fix has not been applied

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm modem chips (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9645, Mdm9650, Mdm9655) and does not have the April 5, 2018 or later security patch applied.

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 from April 5, 2018 or later, which includes the vendor fix for this baseband firmware vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later (for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon modem devices)

  1. 1. Verify the current Android security patch level on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  2. 2. Check if the device has received the Android security update for April 5, 2018 or later
  3. 3. If not patched, check for available system updates in Settings > System > Software Update or Settings > About Phone > Software Update
  4. 4. Apply the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later which contains the fix for this vulnerability
  5. 5. Verify the security patch level has been updated to confirm remediation
Caveat Ensure device supports and receives Android security updates; older devices may not receive patches

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

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,464.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10498 — 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-2016-10498 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