dbcve.org
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18144

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 MSM8909W, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, while processing the retransmission of WPA supplicant command send failures, there is a make after break of the connection to WPA supplicant where the local pointer is not properly updated. If the WPA supplicant command transmission fails, a Use After Free condition will 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 confidence

A Use-After-Free vulnerability exists in the WPA supplicant command handling code in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. When processing retransmissions of failed WPA supplicant commands, a local pointer is not properly updated after a connection break, leading to a Use-After-Free condition when the command transmission subsequently fails.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later to affected devices. This patches the WPA supplicant handling code in the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wi-Fi driver/firmware.

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
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 616 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 415 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset model
    Check the processor/chipset information via 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop ro.hardware' or check device specifications
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the affected models: Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 450, Sd 615, Sd 616, or Sd 415
  2. Check the Wi-Fi firmware version
    Query the Wi-Fi driver for firmware version using 'wpa_cli status' or check Qualcomm diagnostic logs, or use 'cat /sys/module/wlan/fw_version' if available
    Affected if The firmware version is present and corresponds to an affected chipset listed in the CVE (all versions of the listed chipsets are affected)
  3. Verify the Android security patch level
    Check 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or go to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, indicating the patch for this vulnerability has not been applied
  4. Confirm WPA supplicant is active
    Check if wpa_supplicant process is running via 'ps -A | grep wpa_supplicant' or 'getprop init.svc.wpa_supplicant'
    Affected if WPA supplicant is actively running, which is required for the vulnerable code path to be triggered

If the device uses any of the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Msm8909w, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 450, Sd 615, Sd 616, Sd 415) and the Android security patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05, the device is likely affected by this Use-After-Free vulnerability in the WPA supplicant command handling code.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later to affected devices. This patches the WPA supplicant handling code in the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wi-Fi driver/firmware.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later (contact device manufacturer for specific firmware version)

  1. Identify the specific device model and carrier that uses the affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (Msm8909w, SD 210/212/205/450/615/616/415)
  2. Contact the device manufacturer or carrier to verify if an Android security update is available
  3. Upgrade the device to Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later to receive the fix
  4. If no official update is available from the manufacturer, consider replacing the affected device with a model receiving regular security updates
Caveat Firmware updates on older/embedded devices may not be available; device replacement may be necessary

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Msm8909w Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2017-18144 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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