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Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18173

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-05-06
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 case of using an invalid android verified boot signature with very large length, an integer underflow occurs in Snapdragon Mobile in SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 810, SD 820, SD 835, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016.

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 · moderate confidence

An integer underflow vulnerability exists in the Android verified boot signature validation logic of Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. When processing an invalid boot signature with a specially crafted very large length value, the length check underflows, potentially allowing memory corruption or verification bypass in the boot chain.

MitigationApply Qualcomm-provided firmware updates from OEM/device manufacturers. This is a hardware/firmware-level issue requiring processor microcode or bootloader updates - no application-layer workaround exists. Users should ensure devices are running latest OEM firmware and security patch levels.

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
Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 427 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 430 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 435 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 450 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 810 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 820 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
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. Identify the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor model
    Check the device specifications or system information to determine which Snapdragon processor is installed. Common methods include checking /proc/cpuinfo on Android devices or reviewing OEM device documentation.
    Affected if The processor model is one of: Sd 425, Sd 427, Sd 430, Sd 435, Sd 450, Sd 625, Sd 810, or Sd 820.
  2. Retrieve the bootloader or baseband firmware version
    On Android devices, access the bootloader version through recovery mode, fastboot mode, or by checking /proc/version or /sys/kernel/debug/smd_registers if accessible. OEM-specific diagnostic tools may also provide this information.
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is running without the specific patch that addresses CVE-2017-18173.
  3. Verify if Android Verified Boot (AVB) is enabled
    Check the device boot configuration. On Android, this can be verified by running 'adb shell avbctl get-verification' or by checking the bootloader lock status via 'fastboot oem device-info'. Devices with verified boot enabled execute the vulnerable signature validation code path.
    Affected if Verified boot is enabled and the processor is in the affected list, indicating the vulnerable code path could be triggered during boot signature validation.
  4. Confirm security patch level
    Check the Android security patch level under Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level or by running 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'. Compare this date to when the fix for CVE-2017-18173 was incorporated.
    Affected if The security patch level predates the CVE-2017-18173 fix release date.

A user is affected if their device contains an affected Snapdragon processor (Sd 425, 427, 430, 435, 450, 625, 810, or 820) with an unpatched firmware and has verified boot enabled, allowing the vulnerable boot signature validation path to execute.

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 Qualcomm-provided firmware updates from OEM/device manufacturers. This is a hardware/firmware-level issue requiring processor microcode or bootloader updates - no application-layer workaround exists. Users should ensure devices are running latest OEM firmware and security patch levels.

Fix this in Sd 425 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,800
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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-2017-18173 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