CVE-2017-14916
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 Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android, with all Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, buffer sizes in the message passing interface are not properly validated.
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 · low confidenceA buffer size validation vulnerability exists in the Message Passing Interface (MPI) component within Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android builds from CAF. The lack of proper buffer size validation could allow an attacker to trigger a buffer overflow condition.
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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
-
Identify if the device uses a Qualcomm MSM chipsetCheck the processor information via 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop ro.hardware' to see if the device is Qualcomm MSM-basedAffected if The device does NOT use a Qualcomm MSM chipset - this vulnerability only affects Qualcomm MSM-based devices
-
Check if the MPI component is presentLook for MPI-related kernel modules, services or binaries - search for 'mpi' in /proc/modules, /system/lib/modules, or running processes via 'ps -A | grep -i mpi'Affected if No MPI component found - the vulnerability only applies if the MPI component is present and loaded
-
Verify the CAF patch levelCheck the kernel version and compare against known patched CAF releases, or check for specific MPI-related kernel patches in the kernel build configurationAffected if The kernel lacks the CAF buffer validation patch for MPI - the vulnerability exists in unpatched CAF code
A user is affected if they have a Qualcomm MSM-based Android device with the MPI component present and missing the CAF buffer size validation patch in the kernel
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the CAF (Code Aurora Forum) patch for this vulnerability; ensure Android kernel updates are deployed to address the missing buffer validation in the MPI subsystem.
Android Security Patch Level 2017-10-01 or later (specific to your device/OEM)
- Check the Android Security Bulletin for October 2017 for patch level information
- Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) for the specific security patch level that addresses this vulnerability
- Apply the latest Android security patch update available for your device
- For enterprise environments, consider network segmentation and additional monitoring to mitigate risk until patches are applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14916 — 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-2017-14916 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