dbcve.org
Fsm9055 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2016-10501

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, Snapdragon Wear, and Small Cell SoC FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9635M, 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, and SD 835, improper input validation can occur while parsing an image.

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

This vulnerability involves improper input validation during image parsing on multiple Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (mobile, wear, and small cell SoCs). The lack of proper input validation could allow malformed images to trigger memory corruption or other security issues during the parsing process.

MitigationApply the April 2018 Android security patch level or later to affected devices, as this vulnerability was addressed in the 2018-04-05 security update.

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
Fsm9055 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 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
    Check the device specifications or use AT commands (e.g., 'AT+CGMM' or through /proc/cpuinfo on Android) to identify the chipset
    Affected if The chipset matches one of: Fsm9055, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9655, Msm8909w, Sd 210, or Sd 212
  2. Check the firmware version
    Query the firmware version through device settings, system information, or AT commands (e.g., 'AT+CGMR')
    Affected if The firmware version corresponds to any version of the listed chipsets (all versions are affected)
  3. Verify the Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05 (April 5, 2018), indicating the vulnerability may still exist

A device is affected if it uses one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Fsm9055, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9655, Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212) AND has a security patch level 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 April 2018 Android security patch level or later to affected devices, as this vulnerability was addressed in the 2018-04-05 security update.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android device with 2018-04-05 security patch level or later (contact device manufacturer for specific Android version)

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Verify the device is running Android security patch level dated 2018-04-05 or later
  3. If the patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, apply the latest available system update from the device manufacturer
  4. If no update is available from the device manufacturer, contact the device vendor or chipset vendor for a firmware update that addresses this vulnerability
  5. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by verifying the security patch level is 2018-04-05 or later after applying updates
Caveat Older devices may no longer receive security updates from manufacturers; some devices may not receive updates beyond a certain Android version

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

Fix this in Fsm9055 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
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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-2016-10501 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