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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-14884

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, due to lack of bounds checking on the variable "data_len" from the function WLANQCMBR_McProcessMsg, a buffer overflow may potentially occur in WLANFTM_McProcessMsg.

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 Qualcomm's WLAN driver code due to missing bounds checking on the 'data_len' variable in the WLANQCMBR_McProcessMsg function. When this unvalidated length is passed to WLANFTM_McProcessMsg, it can cause a buffer overflow. This is a kernel-space vulnerability affecting Qualcomm Android devices using CAF Linux kernel releases.

MitigationApply the CAF-provided patch that adds proper bounds validation on the data_len parameter before using it to allocate or access buffers in the WLAN message processing functions. This is a kernel-level fix requiring firmware update.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify Qualcomm WLAN hardware
    Check if the device uses a Qualcomm WLAN chipset by examining the kernel boot logs, or by checking the output of 'getprop' for WLAN-related properties (e.g., 'ro.board.platform' containing 'msm' or 'wlan' driver modules loaded)
    Affected if The device runs on Qualcomm hardware and uses the affected WLAN driver code from CAF kernel releases
  2. Determine the kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check '/proc/version' to obtain the running kernel version. Compare this against the CAF (Code Aurora Forum) Linux kernel release dates around 2017 (the vulnerability was disclosed in late 2017)
    Affected if The kernel version is from a CAF release prior to the patch date and contains the vulnerable WLANQCMBR_McProcessMsg function
  3. Verify the WLAN driver module is loaded
    Check if the Qualcomm WLAN driver is active by examining 'lsmod' for wlan modules or checking '/sys/class/net/' for wireless interfaces. The vulnerability only triggers when the WLAN driver is initialized and processing messages
    Affected if The Qualcomm WLAN driver module is loaded and actively processing messages through the vulnerable function
  4. Inspect kernel config for FTM message processing
    Check the kernel configuration file (usually in /boot/config-* or /proc/config.gz if enabled) for CONFIG_WLAN_FTM or related CONFIG options that enable the WLAN message processing code paths containing the vulnerable functions
    Affected if The kernel was built with the FTM (Frame Transfer Mode) message processing feature enabled, which includes the vulnerable WLANFTM_McProcessMsg function

A user is affected if they run a Qualcomm-based Android device with a CAF kernel version that includes the WLAN driver code containing the vulnerable WLANQCMBR_McProcessMsg function without the bounds-checking patch applied.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the CAF-provided patch that adds proper bounds validation on the data_len parameter before using it to allocate or access buffers in the WLAN message processing functions. This is a kernel-level fix requiring firmware update.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2017-14884 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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