CVE-2017-15861
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 all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, in the function wma_roam_synch_event_handler, vdev_id is received from firmware and used to access an array without validation.
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 vulnerability in the wma_roam_synch_event_handler function allows an unvalidated vdev_id received from firmware to index an array, potentially causing an out-of-bounds read/write leading to memory corruption or information disclosure.
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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Identify if device uses Qualcomm Wi-Fi hardwareCheck /sys/class/net/wlan0/device/vendor and /sys/class/net/wlan0/device/device for Qualcomm vendor ID (0x168c or 0x17cb) or look at 'getprop' for 'ro.board.platform' and 'wifi.interface'Affected if Device uses a non-Qualcomm Wi-Fi chipset (the vulnerable code path is specific to Qualcomm's wma driver)
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Verify the vulnerable driver module is presentCheck for the wlan module in lsmod or look for 'wlan' in /proc/modules; also check kernel config for CONFIG_WCNSS_QCA (Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver)Affected if The wcnss or wlan Qualcomm driver module is not loaded (the vulnerable code path does not exist)
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Confirm Wi-Fi is enabledRun 'ip link show wlan0' or check 'getprop sys.wifi.state' - if Wi-Fi is disabled, the vulnerable code path in wma_roam_synch_event_handler is not triggeredAffected if Wi-Fi is completely disabled (the firmware-to-host communication that triggers the vulnerable vdev_id handling does not occur)
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Check for the vulnerable function in the driverSearch the kernel or driver binaries for 'wma_roam_synch_event_handler' - this function is in the Qualcomm wlan driver (wcnss or similar)Affected if The specific function is not present (the driver version does not include this code path)
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Review kernel logs for exploitation indicatorsCheck dmesg or logcat for out-of-bounds memory access errors, firmware crash logs, or vdev_id related errors in the wlan driver subsystemAffected if Unexplained wlan driver crashes, memory corruption indicators, or firmware sync event errors appear in logs
This vulnerability affects Android devices with Qualcomm Wi-Fi chipsets where the Wi-Fi subsystem is enabled and the vulnerable driver code is present - most Android devices with Qualcomm Wi-Fi are potentially affected.
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 vendor patch from Qualcomm/CAF that adds validation of vdev_id against array bounds before array access in the affected kernel driver.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15861 — 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-2017-15861 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
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