dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10499

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9645, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 400, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, and SDX20, memory leak may occur in the IPSecurity module when repeating IKE-Rekey.

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 · moderate confidence

A memory leak vulnerability exists in the IPSecurity (IPSec) module of multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile and wearable processors. The leak is triggered during repeated IKE (Internet Key Exchange) rekeying operations, where the rekey process fails to properly release allocated memory, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

MitigationApply Android security patches from April 2018 or later; devices running earlier patch levels require vendor firmware updates from the device manufacturer to resolve the underlying IPSecurity module memory management issue.

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
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9645 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 modem chipset model
    Check device specifications or use AT commands (AT+CGMM or AT+QCFG="nw" for Qualcomm modems) to query the modem model number
    Affected if The modem model matches Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, Mdm9635m, Mdm9640, Mdm9645, or Mdm9650
  2. Verify IPSec/IPSec VPN is configured or enabled
    Check device VPN settings, IPSec configuration files (/etc/ipsec.conf, /etc/racoon.conf on Linux-based systems), or look for active IPSec processes using 'ps | grep -i ipsec' or 'ip xfrm state'
    Affected if IPSec VPN is actively configured or the IPSec daemon is running
  3. Check for active IKE daemon and rekeying configuration
    Examine IKE daemon status (strongswan, racoon, or libreswan) with commands like 'ipsec status' or check /var/log/messages for IKE negotiation events; look for 'rekey' or 'CHILD_SA' in logs
    Affected if IKE daemon is running and performing rekey operations, which triggers the memory leak
  4. Monitor memory consumption of IPSec processes
    Use process monitoring tools (top, htop, ps aux) to observe memory usage of ipsec, charon, racoon, or similar IKE/IPSec daemons over time during active VPN sessions
    Affected if Memory usage of IPSec/IKE processes grows continuously without being released after repeated rekey cycles, indicating the leak
  5. Check firmware or baseband version
    Query the baseband/firmware version via AT commands (AT+CGMR) or through device settings under About Phone > Baseband version
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is prior to April 2018 patches (for Android devices), indicating it may be unpatched

The device is affected if it contains one of the listed Qualcomm modem chips (Mdm9206 through Mdm9650) and has IPSec VPN enabled with active IKE rekeying occurring, as the memory leak only manifests under those conditions.

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 patches from April 2018 or later; devices running earlier patch levels require vendor firmware updates from the device manufacturer to resolve the underlying IPSecurity module memory management issue.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,260
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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-2016-10499 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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