CVE-2016-8418
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 · uneditedA remote code execution vulnerability in the Qualcomm crypto driver could enable a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Critical due to the possibility of remote code execution in the context of the kernel. Product: Android. Versions: N/A. Android ID: A-32652894. References: QC-CR#1077457.
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 confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability in the Qualcomm crypto driver allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the kernel context. This is a critical flaw as it provides the attacker with the highest privilege level on the affected device, bypassing all userland security boundaries.
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<= 6.0.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADBAffected if Version is 6.0.1 or earlier (6.0, 5.1, 5.0, etc.)
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Identify chipset manufacturerCheck device specifications for Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, or run 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.board.platform' via ADBAffected if Device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (the vulnerable driver is specific to Qualcomm hardware)
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Verify crypto driver presenceCheck for the presence of the Qualcomm crypto driver module. On affected devices, this is typically a kernel module. Run 'ls /system/lib/modules/' or check /proc/modules via ADB to look for crypto-related modules from QualcommAffected if A Qualcomm crypto driver module is loaded or present on the device
The device is affected if it runs Android 6.0.1 or earlier on Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware with the vulnerable crypto driver present.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply the appropriate Android security patch level (either the January 2017 Pixel/Nexus security patch or the carrier/OEM equivalent) which contains the fix for this Qualcomm crypto driver vulnerability.
Android 7.0 or later with December 2016 security update or later
- Check for system updates on the affected Android device by going to Settings > About Phone > System Updates
- Ensure the device receives the December 2016 Android Security Patch Level or later
- If the device cannot receive updates, consider migrating to a device that supports newer Android versions with ongoing security support
- Verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8418 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-8418 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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