CVE-2017-0636
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 MediaTek command queue 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: N/A. Android ID: A-35310230. References: M-ALPS03162263.
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 local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the MediaTek command queue driver (MediaTek command queue driver) that allows a malicious application to execute arbitrary code within kernel context. The vulnerability requires the attacker to first compromise a privileged process, which elevates the difficulty but still enables kernel-level code execution.
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= 7.1.2CVSS 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.
-
Verify Android version is 7.1.2Check the Android version on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shellAffected if The device is running Android version 7.1.2 specifically
-
Confirm MediaTek chipset is presentIdentify the SoC/chipset in use by checking /proc/cpuinfo or using 'getprop ro.hardware' via adb shellAffected if The device uses a MediaTek chipset (the vulnerability only affects MediaTek hardware)
-
Locate the MediaTek command queue driverCheck for the presence of the MediaTek command queue driver module by examining /proc/modules or searching for related kernel modules (common naming patterns include 'cmq' or 'cmdq' in module names) via adb shell with lsmod or cat /proc/modulesAffected if The MediaTek command queue driver module is loaded on the system
-
Verify the driver is in an exposed stateCheck if any privileged processes or services that interact with the command queue driver are running. Examine running processes with elevated privileges and verify if they can be accessed by standard user applications. Use 'ps -A' via adb shell to list processes and check permissions.Affected if Privileged processes that can interface with the command queue driver are accessible or running on the device
A device is affected if it runs Android 7.1.2, uses a MediaTek chipset, and has the MediaTek command queue driver loaded and accessible to privileged contexts.
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 MediaTek patch (M-ALPS03162263) through Android system updates for affected devices running MediaTek chipsets. Prioritize patching devices in privileged positions or those with direct user data access.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 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 $11,776.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-0636 — 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-2017-0636 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data