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Contacts Backup \& RestoreApplication · Nq

CVE-2017-15997

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-29
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 the "NQ Contacts Backup & Restore" application 1.1 for Android, RC4 encryption is used to secure the user password locally stored in shared preferences. Because there is a static RC4 key, an attacker can gain access to user credentials more easily by leveraging access to the preferences XML file.

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 confidence

The NQ Contacts Backup & Restore Android app (v1.1) uses RC4 encryption with a hardcoded static key to protect user passwords stored in Android SharedPreferences. Since the RC4 key is embedded in the application binary and never changes, anyone who gains access to the preferences XML file (e.g., through device compromise, backup extraction, or malware) can decrypt all stored credentials using the known key.

MitigationReplace the static RC4 encryption with modern cryptographic primitives (e.g., AES-256-GCM) using properly derived keys (PBKDF2/Argon2) tied to user-provided passwords or device-specific secure elements, and implement secure key management rather than embedding keys in the application.

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
Contacts Backup \& RestoreApplication
Affected:= 1.1

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. Confirm app installation and version
    Check if NQ Contacts Backup & Restore version 1.1 is installed on the Android device. Use package manager: 'pm list packages' or check app settings under Apps > NQ Contacts Backup & Restore to view the version number.
    Affected if The app version is exactly 1.1 (other versions are not affected)
  2. Locate SharedPreferences data directory
    Navigate to /data/data/ and look for the app's package directory (commonly contains 'nq' or 'contactsbackup' in the name). The path is typically /data/data/com.nqmobile.contacts.backupandrestore/shared_prefs/ or similar. Use 'ls' to enumerate directories if you have shell access.
    Affected if The SharedPreferences directory for this specific app exists on the device
  3. Inspect the preferences XML file
    Read the XML files in the SharedPreferences directory (often named like [appname]_preferences.xml or similar). Look for keys that suggest credential storage such as 'password', 'pwd', 'credential', or similar. Use 'cat' or a file viewer to read the contents.
    Affected if The XML contains data fields with encrypted or encoded values corresponding to user credentials
  4. Verify encryption method presence
    Examine the stored data values. RC4-encrypted data will typically appear as base64-encoded strings or hex-encoded binary data. Compare the format against typical plaintext storage - encrypted values will be fixed-length random-looking strings rather than readable text.
    Affected if Stored credential data exists and appears as non-readable encoded/encrypted values (indicating encryption was applied, which is the vulnerable condition)
  5. Assess exposure risk
    Determine if the device has been compromised, has malware, or allows ADB backup (adb backup command can extract SharedPreferences). Check if Android backup is enabled in developer settings or if the device has been rooted.
    Affected if The device has any condition that could allow unauthorized access to the SharedPreferences file (backup extraction, malware, root compromise, or device theft)

You are affected if NQ Contacts Backup & Restore version 1.1 is installed AND user credentials have been saved to SharedPreferences AND an attacker could access the preferences file through backup, malware, device compromise, or theft.

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

Replace the static RC4 encryption with modern cryptographic primitives (e.g., AES-256-GCM) using properly derived keys (PBKDF2/Argon2) tied to user-provided passwords or device-specific secure elements, and implement secure key management rather than embedding keys in the application.

Fix this in Contacts Backup \& Restore Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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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-2017-15997 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data