Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18292

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-10-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Secure app running in non secure space can restart TZ by calling Widevine app API repeatedly in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear in versions MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 617, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A.

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

A secure application running in the non-secure (normal) world can trigger repeated TrustZone (TZ) restarts by calling the Widevine app API repeatedly on affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. This indicates a bypass of the secure world/normal world isolation, allowing improper TrustZone manipulation from an untrusted context.

MitigationThis is a chipset firmware vulnerability requiring a patch from Qualcomm and subsequent OEM/device manufacturer firmware updates. Users should apply available security updates from their device vendors. Widevine DRM APIs should enforce proper TrustZone isolation boundaries.

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
Msm8996au 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 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 412 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 425 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 device chipset model
    Check the processor/chipset information via 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop ro.hardware' on Android devices, or check system information on embedded devices
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the affected models: Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 410, Sd 412, or Sd 425
  2. Confirm the chipset vendor is Qualcomm
    Verify the chipset is a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor by reviewing the hardware information from the previous step
    Affected if The chipset is not a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (this vulnerability only applies to the listed Qualcomm chipsets)
  3. Check if Widevine DRM is in use
    Determine if the device uses Widevine for DRM content protection - this can be checked via 'getprop' commands or by inspecting media DRM configuration on Android devices
    Affected if Widevine DRM is not implemented on the device (the vulnerability is triggered through Widevine API calls)
  4. Monitor for TrustZone restart behavior
    Observe system logs or trustzone diagnostics for repeated trustzone subsystem restarts occurring when Widevine APIs are called frequently
    Affected if Repeated TrustZone restarts are observed in system logs following repeated Widevine API calls, indicating the isolation bypass is present

A device is affected if it uses one of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 410, Sd 412, or Sd 425) and implements Widevine DRM, with the vulnerability manifesting as repeated TrustZone restarts when the Widevine API is invoked.

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

This is a chipset firmware vulnerability requiring a patch from Qualcomm and subsequent OEM/device manufacturer firmware updates. Users should apply available security updates from their device vendors. Widevine DRM APIs should enforce proper TrustZone isolation boundaries.

Fix this in Msm8909w Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
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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-2017-18292 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
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