Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-0581
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 Synaptics Touchscreen 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-3.18. Android ID: A-34614485.
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 confidenceAn elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Synaptics touchscreen driver for Android kernel 3.18 allows a local malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process to execute arbitrary code within kernel context. The vulnerability exists in the kernel-space driver code and enables escaping from a compromised privileged userland process to gain full kernel-level access.
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
= 3.18CVSS 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 kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to determine the exact kernel version running on the deviceAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.18 (any subversion of 3.18)
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Determine if Synaptics touchscreen driver is presentCheck for the presence of Synaptics touchscreen driver modules or examine /sys/bus/serio/drivers/ps2serio or review loaded kernel modules (lsmod) for Synaptics-related entriesAffected if A Synaptics touchscreen driver is loaded or compiled into the kernel
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Verify device type is AndroidConfirm the affected system is an Android device running kernel 3.18, as this vulnerability is specific to the Android implementation of the Synaptics driverAffected if The device runs Android with kernel 3.18 and contains the vulnerable driver
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Check if privileged process compromise is possibleReview the security context of applications on the device; the attacker would need to have already compromised a privileged (root or system) userland processAffected if A privileged process on the device has been compromised to the point of allowing further exploitation
A system is affected if it runs Android with Linux kernel version 3.18 and has the Synaptics touchscreen driver present, enabling a previously compromised privileged process to escalate to kernel-level code execution.
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 appropriate Android security patch level containing the fix for this vulnerability; device manufacturers must update the kernel with the patched Synaptics touchscreen driver. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates from their device vendor.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0581 — 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-2017-0581 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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