CVE-2017-18294
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 · uneditedWhile reading file class type from ELF header, a buffer overread may happen if the ELF file size is less than the size of ELF64 header size in Small Cell SoC, Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wear in version FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SDA660, SDX20.
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 confidenceA buffer overread vulnerability exists in the ELF header parsing code of affected Qualcomm Snapdragon and Small Cell SoC firmware. When processing an ELF file smaller than the expected ELF64 header size, the code reads beyond the buffer boundary while extracting the file class type, potentially leading to information disclosure or code execution.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device chipset modelCheck the device documentation, bootloader output, or system information to determine the Qualcomm chipset (e.g., FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD210, SD212)Affected if Chipset matches one of: FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD210, or SD212
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Confirm firmware versionCheck firmware version via device management interface, boot logs, or firmware metadata file. The affected products list states all versions are vulnerable.Affected if Any firmware version is installed on an affected chipset
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Verify ELF parsing component presenceExamine firmware binary or filesystem for ELF loader/parser components that handle firmware images. This may require firmware extraction or analysis tools.Affected if The device firmware contains ELF header parsing code for loading firmware images
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Check for ELF file processingReview device logs or network captures for evidence of the device processing ELF files (firmware updates, module loading). The vulnerability triggers when parsing ELF files smaller than expected header size.Affected if The device processes ELF files and the ELF parser lacks proper bounds checking
If the device uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (FSM9055, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD210, SD212) with any firmware version, the environment is affected since all versions of these chipsets contain the vulnerable ELF parsing code.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataImplement proper bounds checking to verify ELF file size is at least equal to the ELF64 header size before reading the file class type. Apply vendor firmware updates for the affected chipset versions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-18294 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-18294 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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