Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-0439
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-32450647. References: QC-CR#1092059.
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 local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver for Android. A malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, effectively gaining full control of the system.
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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Check Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, via ADB run: adb shell getprop ro.build.version.releaseAffected if The Android version is 7.1.1 or lower (any version <= 7.1.1)
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Identify the Wi-Fi chipset vendorCheck the device specifications or use ADB to query Wi-Fi driver info: adb shell wpa_supplicant -D? (or check /proc/net/wireless for driver details). You can also check: adb shell getprop | grep wifiAffected if The device uses a Qualcomm/Atheros Wi-Fi chipset (the vulnerability is in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver)
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Check kernel version if accessibleVia ADB, run: adb shell cat /proc/version OR adb uname -aAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.10 or 3.18 (these are the specific affected versions listed)
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Verify patch status via security patch levelVia ADB run: adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch OR check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch levelAffected if The security patch level is earlier than February 2017 (when this CVE was addressed)
A device is likely affected if it runs Android 7.1.1 or earlier, uses a Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver, and has a kernel version of 3.10 or 3.18 without the QC-CR#1092059 security patch applied.
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-provided security patch (QC-CR#1092059) through OEM system updates. Users should ensure their devices receive the latest Android security updates from their device manufacturers.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $8,192.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0439 — 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-2017-0439 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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