CVE-2017-13293
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 · uneditedIn the nfc_hci_cmd_received() function of core.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege in the kernel with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: Android kernel. Android ID: A-62679701.
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 missing bounds check in the nfc_hci_cmd_received() function in core.c allows an out of bounds write, enabling local privilege escalation in the Android kernel without additional privileges or user interaction.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 NFC hardware is present on the deviceCheck /system/lib/modules/ for NFC kernel modules (like nfc or pn544) or look for NFC-related entries in /proc/devices. On stock Android, you can also check Settings > Connections > NFC to see if the option exists.Affected if NFC hardware is present and the option is available/enabled in settings, making the attack surface active
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Identify the kernel versionRun 'cat /proc/version' or 'uname -a' to obtain the kernel version string. Note the full version including the patch level (e.g., 3.18.31, 4.4.x, etc.).Affected if The kernel version predates the A-62679701 patch; there is no specific build number provided, so any unpatched kernel version is considered affected
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Check for NFC HCI driver moduleRun 'lsmod' to list loaded kernel modules and look for modules related to NFC HCI (such as nfc_hci, st21nfc, or pn544). Also check /sys/module/ for nfc-related directories.Affected if The NFC HCI module (nfc_hci or similar) is loaded, meaning the vulnerable code path is active in memory
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Inspect the nfc_hci_cmd_received functionIf you have root access, examine /proc/kallsyms or the kernel symbol table to locate the nfc_hci_cmd_received function address. Compare against known patched symbols if available.Affected if The function exists at an address and no bounds-checking logic is observable in the related kernel symbols or debug output
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Confirm Android security patch levelCheck Settings > About Phone > Security patch level to see the installed Android security update. CVE-2017-13293 was addressed in the January 2018 Android Security Bulletin.Affected if The security patch level is January 2018 or earlier, indicating the bounds check fix is not present
The device is affected if NFC hardware is present and enabled, the kernel is unpatched (pre-January 2018 security update), and the NFC HCI module is loaded, enabling the vulnerable code path.
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 kernel security patch for A-62679701 which adds proper bounds validation in the NFC HCI command handling code.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-13293 — 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-2017-13293 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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