CVE-2017-17551
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 · uneditedThe Backup and Restore feature in Mobotap Dolphin Browser for Android 12.0.2 suffers from an arbitrary file write vulnerability when attempting to restore browser settings from a malicious Dolphin Browser backup file. This arbitrary file write vulnerability allows an attacker to overwrite a specific executable in the Dolphin Browser's data directory with a crafted malicious executable. Every time the Dolphin Browser is launched, it will attempt to run the malicious executable from disk, thus executing the attacker's code.
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 confidenceThe Backup and Restore feature in Dolphin Browser for Android 12.0.2 lacks proper validation of backup file contents, allowing an attacker to craft a malicious backup that overwrites a specific executable in the browser's data directory. Since the browser executes this file on every launch, the attacker achieves persistent code execution.
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= 12.0.2CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 Dolphin Browser versionCheck the installed version of Dolphin Browser (Changyou Dolphin) in Android Settings > Apps > Dolphin Browser. Confirm the version is exactly 12.0.2.Affected if Version is 12.0.2 - this is the only affected version per the CVE.
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Locate browser data directoryAccess the Android data directory for Dolphin Browser at /data/data/com.android.browser/ or /data/data/com.dolphin.browser/ (path may vary by device/root). Look for the executable file that gets overwritten during restore.Affected if The specific executable exists in the browser's data directory and could have been replaced by a malicious backup.
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Check for backup filesLook for .bak or backup files in the browser's data directory or external storage (typically in /sdcard/Dolphin/Backup/). Determine if any backup files have been restored.Affected if A backup has been restored - this is required for the exploit to trigger as the malicious content is delivered via the restore function.
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Inspect backup archive contentsIf a backup file exists, examine its contents (using unzip or tar depending on format) to see if it contains files that would overwrite executables in the browser's data directory.Affected if The backup archive contains files targeting the browser's executable directory, indicating a crafted malicious backup was used.
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Check for unauthorized code executionMonitor or inspect the browser's data directory for any unexpected executable files, scripts, or modified binaries that were not part of the original installation.Affected if Unexpected executables or modified binaries are found in the browser's data directory, indicating successful exploitation.
You are affected if Dolphin Browser version 12.0.2 is installed AND an untrusted backup file has been restored, allowing malicious code to persist in the browser's data directory.
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 dataDo not restore browser settings from untrusted or unknown backup files. Users should only restore from backups they personally created or obtained from trusted sources. Consider updating to a patched version if available from the vendor.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17551 — 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-2017-17551 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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