CVE-2017-15853
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 Qualcomm Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android with all Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel before security patch level 2018-04-05, while processing PTT commands, ptt_sock_send_msg_to_app() is invoked without validating the packet length. If the packet length is invalid, then a buffer over-read can occur.
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 buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the PTT (Push-to-Talk) subsystem of Qualcomm Android and Firefox OS for MSM. The function ptt_sock_send_msg_to_app() processes PTT commands without validating the packet length, allowing an attacker to trigger an over-read by sending packets with invalid lengths.
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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 Android security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Check if the date is earlier than April 5, 2018.Affected if The patch level shows a date before 2018-04-05 (or does not show a specific patch date)
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Determine if PTT functionality is presentCheck device settings for Push-to-Talk or PTT options. This may appear under Settings > Connections > PTT, Settings > Network & Internet > PTT, or within carrier-specific apps. Alternatively, check for ptt_sysfs or related ptt entries in /sys/kernel/debug or /proc filesystem.Affected if PTT functionality is enabled or available on the device
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Identify the baseband modem versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Baseband version or use the command 'getprop ro.baseband' via ADB shell. This indicates the Qualcomm MSM modem firmware version.Affected if The baseband version corresponds to an older firmware release predating the April 2018 security update
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Check for PTT-related kernel modules or servicesLook for ptt_sock or related kernel modules via 'lsmod | grep ptt' or check running services for ptt-related processes using 'ps -A | grep -i ptt' in ADB shell.Affected if PTT kernel modules are loaded or PTT services are running on the device
The device is affected if PTT functionality is enabled and the installed security patch level predates the 2018-04-05 update, as the vulnerability exists in the PTT subsystem without proper packet length validation.
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 security patch from the 2018-04-05 security patch level or later, which adds proper packet length validation in ptt_sock_send_msg_to_app(). If patches are unavailable, consider disabling PTT functionality as a compensating control.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15853 — 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-2017-15853 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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