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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18072

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Android before security patch level 2018-04-05 on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, QCA4531, QCA6174A, QCA6564, QCA6574, QCA6574AU, QCA6584, QCA6584AU, QCA9377, QCA9378, QCA9379, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 808, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, the probe requests originated from user's phone contains the information elements which specifies the supported wifi features. This shall impact the user's privacy if someone sniffs the probe requests originated by this DUT. Hence, control the presence of which information elements is supported.

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

In affected Android devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, WiFi probe requests broadcast information elements that reveal the device's supported WiFi features. This allows anyone sniffing these packets to fingerprint or track users based on the exposed capability data.

MitigationApply the 2018-04-05 or later security patch for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon devices. Additionally, enable MAC address randomization and consider network-level controls to limit probe request exposure in enterprise environments.

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
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6174a FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6574 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6574au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6584 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Qualcomm chipset model
    Check the device specifications, firmware information, or system diagnostics to determine the exact Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset model (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Qca6174a, Qca6574, Mdm9640, Qca6574au, Mdm9650, or Qca6584)
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed affected chipset models (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Qca6174a, Qca6574, Mdm9640, Qca6574au, Mdm9650, or Qca6584)
  2. Verify the firmware version
    Check the firmware version string on the device or access the baseband/modem firmware information through device diagnostics or engineering menus
    Affected if The firmware version is any version of the listed affected chipsets (all versions are affected)
  3. Capture WiFi probe requests
    Use a WiFi packet sniffer (such as Wireshark with a monitor-mode adapter, aircrack-ng tools, or a dedicated WiFi analyzer app) to capture outgoing probe request frames from the device
    Affected if You are able to capture probe requests from the device for analysis
  4. Inspect Information Elements in probe requests
    Examine the captured probe request frames in the packet sniffer. Look at the Information Elements (IEs) in the 802.11 management frame, specifically the Supported Rates, Extended Supported Rates, HT Capabilities, VHT Capabilities, and other vendor-specific IEs that reveal WiFi feature support
    Affected if The probe requests contain detailed capability information such as supported data rates, HT/VHT capabilities, MIMO configurations, or other feature indicators that could be used for fingerprinting
  5. Verify capability data exposure
    Compare the captured IEs against standard probe requests. Check if the device broadcasts extended capability lists that reveal specific WiFi features (e.g., 802.11ac support, specific channel widths, MU-MIMO capability, or proprietary Qualcomm extensions)
    Affected if The probe requests expose detailed WiFi feature capabilities beyond basic connectivity information, allowing an external observer to fingerprint the device or track it based on these capabilities

A device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Qca6174a, Qca6574, Mdm9640, Qca6574au, Mdm9650, or Qca6584) and broadcasts WiFi probe requests that contain extended capability information enabling device fingerprinting or tracking.

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

Apply the 2018-04-05 or later security patch for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon devices. Additionally, enable MAC address randomization and consider network-level controls to limit probe request exposure in enterprise environments.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,600
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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-2017-18072 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
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