Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-0454
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 audio 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-33353700. References: QC-CR#1104067.
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 confidenceElevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm audio driver allowing a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within kernel context. The flaw enables a compromised privileged process to escalate to full kernel-level code execution, bypassing Android's process isolation.
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= 3.18CVSS 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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Identify the running Linux kernel versionRun `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to obtain the exact kernel version stringAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.10 or 3.18 (e.g., 3.10.x or 3.18.x variants)
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Confirm the Android security patch levelOn Android devices, check Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level, or run `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch`Affected if The security patch level is earlier than March 2017 or the property is unset
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Detect the presence of Qualcomm audio driver componentsCheck for loaded kernel modules related to Qualcomm audio: `lsmod | grep -i audio` or examine /sys/module for audio modules (e.g., q6audio, msm_audio, or similar qcom audio modules)Affected if Qualcomm audio driver modules are loaded and the kernel version is 3.10 or 3.18
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Verify if the device is missing the March 2017 Android security updateCompare the detected kernel version and patch level against the fixed versions; unpatched systems running the affected kernel versions remain vulnerableAffected if The system runs kernel 3.10 or 3.18 AND lacks the March 2017 security patch
A system is affected if it runs Linux kernel version 3.10 or 3.18 with a Qualcomm audio driver and has not received the March 2017 Android security patch.
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 Android security patch for March 2017 (or later) which addresses this Qualcomm audio driver vulnerability. For systems unable to receive official patches, consider kernel hardening measures such as SELinux policy restrictions and disabling unused audio driver features.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0454 — 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-2017-0454 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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