dbcve.org
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18280

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-09-20
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 Snapdragon (Automobile, Mobile, Wear) in version MDM9607, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SDM429, SDM439, SDM632, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, when a Trusted Application has opened the SPI/I2C interface to a particular device, it is possible for another Trusted Application to read the data on this open interface by calling the SPI/I2C read function.

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 vulnerability in Snapdragon's Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) allows one Trusted Application to read SPI/I2C interface data that was opened by another Trusted Application, due to improper isolation between TAs within the TEE.

MitigationApply vendor firmware updates from Qualcomm/device manufacturers to patch the TEE isolation flaw. Until patch is available, minimize use of multiple TAs that access sensitive SPI/I2C peripherals.

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
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd425 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd427 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 chipset model
    Check the device or system for the specific chipset: Mdm9607, Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd210, Sd212, Sd205, Sd425, or Sd427. This can be done via /proc/cpuinfo, kernel boot logs, or system information files.
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9607, Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd210, Sd212, Sd205, Sd425, Sd427). All firmware versions of these chipsets are affected.
  2. Verify the Trusted Execution Environment is present
    Check for TEE support in the kernel: look for tee kernel module (lsmod | grep tee), check for TEE device nodes (ls /dev/tz* or /dev/tee*), or verify TEE subsystem in /sys/kernel/debug/tee/.
    Affected if The device has an active TEE (Trusted Execution Environment). The vulnerability exists within the TEE isolation.
  3. Enumerate installed Trusted Applications
    List all Trusted Applications running in the TEE. This typically requires access to TEE debugging interfaces or vendor-specific tools. Check /tee/ directory or use Qualcomm-specific diagnostic tools if available.
    Affected if Multiple Trusted Applications (TAs) are installed. The vulnerability allows one TA to read data from interfaces opened by another TA.
  4. Identify TAs with SPI/I2C peripheral access
    Review TA permissions and capabilities to determine which applications have access to SPI or I2C interfaces. This information may be in TEE configuration files, manifest files, or obtained through vendor diagnostic tools.
    Affected if Two or more Trusted Applications have access to SPI or I2C interfaces. The flaw enables unauthorized data reading between TAs sharing these peripheral interfaces.
  5. Check for simultaneous TA access to shared peripherals
    Monitor or review the configuration to determine if multiple TAs can concurrently access the same SPI or I2C bus resources. This requires understanding the TEE scheduling and resource allocation.
    Affected if The TEE allows concurrent access from multiple TAs to SPI/I2C interfaces without proper isolation between them.

A device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (all firmware versions) AND has multiple Trusted Applications where at least two of them access SPI or I2C interfaces, allowing one TA to read data intended for another.

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 vendor firmware updates from Qualcomm/device manufacturers to patch the TEE isolation flaw. Until patch is available, minimize use of multiple TAs that access sensitive SPI/I2C peripherals.

Fix this in Mdm9607 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2017-18280 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