dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-13308

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
In tscpu_write_GPIO_out and mtkts_Abts_write of mtk_ts_Abts.c, there is a possible buffer overflow in an sscanf due to improper input validation. This could lead to a local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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 confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the sscanf() function within tscpu_write_GPIO_out and mtkts_Abts_write functions in mtk_ts_Abts.c (a MediaTek thermal driver). The sscanf lacks proper bounds checking on input, allowing a local attacker with system execution privileges to overflow a buffer and escalate privileges.

MitigationImplement proper input validation and buffer length checks on all sscanf format strings in the affected functions, ensuring user-supplied input cannot exceed destination buffer sizes.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm MediaTek chipset is in use
    Check /proc/cpuinfo for 'MediaTek' or 'MT' in the hardware/CPU information, or use 'getprop ro.hardware' to identify the device hardware platform
    Affected if The device does not use a MediaTek chipset - this vulnerability only affects MediaTek-based Android devices
  2. Identify presence of the thermal driver
    Search for the driver file mtk_ts_Abts.c in the kernel source tree or look for compiled thermal driver modules in /sys/modules/ (typically named mtk_ts_abts or similar thermal management modules)
    Affected if The mtk_ts_Abts thermal driver is not present on the device - the vulnerability only exists if this specific MediaTek thermal driver is present
  3. Verify the driver is loaded or loadable
    Check /proc/modules or run 'lsmod | grep -i thermal' to see if thermal management drivers are active; also check /sys/class/thermal/ for thermal zone listings
    Affected if No MediaTek thermal driver is loaded - the exploit requires the vulnerable driver to be active in the kernel
  4. Check kernel configuration for thermal driver support
    If kernel config is accessible (often in /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz), search for CONFIG_MTK_TS_ABTS or similar thermal driver configuration options set to y or m
    Affected if The MediaTek thermal driver (CONFIG_MTK_TS_ABTS or similar) is not enabled in the kernel configuration

The device is affected if it runs on a MediaTek chipset and has the mtk_ts_Abts thermal driver present and loaded, as the vulnerability exists in the sscanf() function within this driver across all Android versions on affected MediaTek hardware.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement proper input validation and buffer length checks on all sscanf format strings in the affected functions, ensuring user-supplied input cannot exceed destination buffer sizes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android security patch level (minimum May 2018 or later when this CVE was addressed in Android Security Bulletin)

  1. 1. Check the current Android Security Patch Level on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. 2. Verify if the device has received the Android security update that includes the fix for CVE-2017-13308
  3. 3. If an update is available, download and install it via Settings > System > Software Update
  4. 4. After updating, confirm the Security Patch Level reflects a date after the CVE was addressed in the Android Security Bulletin
  5. 5. If the device manufacturer no longer provides updates, consider upgrading to a device with ongoing security support or a custom ROM with recent security patches
Caveat Device may not receive updates if manufacturer has ended support; custom ROMs may void warranty and introduce other security risks

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-13308 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-13308 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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