Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-0437
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 · uneditedAn elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-32402310. References: QC-CR#1092497.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver allows a compromised local application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The flaw enables an attacker who has already achieved code execution in a privileged process to further elevate to ring 0, achieving full kernel control. This affects Android devices running kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18.
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
Linux KernelOperating system
= 3.10= 3.18<= 7.1.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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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Verify kernel versionCheck the running kernel version by reading /proc/version or running `uname -r` on the deviceAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.10 or 3.18 (the only affected versions listed)
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Confirm Android versionCheck the Android OS version using `getprop ro.build.version.release` or by inspecting /system/build.propAffected if Android version is 7.1.1 or earlier (versions <= 7.1.1 are affected)
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Identify Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver presenceCheck for the presence of the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver module in the kernel or /system/lib/modules directory. The specific driver affected is the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver component within the kernel.Affected if The device uses a Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver in the affected kernel versions; the driver must be present and loaded for exploitation to be possible
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Confirm prerequisite accessThis vulnerability requires an attacker to already have code execution in a privileged user-space process before they can elevate to kernel privilegesAffected if The device has been compromised with a privileged process exploit, allowing further kernel-level escalation through this flaw
A device is affected if it runs Android <= 7.1.1 with a Linux kernel version of exactly 3.10 or 3.18 and contains the vulnerable Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver, combined with the prerequisite that an attacker already has code execution in a privileged process.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-supplied security patch (QC-CR#1092497) through the Android monthly security update process. Organizations should ensure deployed devices receive the relevant Android security patch level (A-32402310).
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,320.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0437 — 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-2017-0437 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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