Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18312

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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
While accessing SafeSwitch services, third party can manipulate a given device and perform unauthorized operation due to lack of checking of same state transitions in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile in version MSM8996AU, SD 410/12, SD 617, SD 650/52, 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

The vulnerability exists in SafeSwitch services within affected Snapdragon chipsets. Due to improper validation of state transitions, an unauthenticated third party can manipulate device state and perform unauthorized operations.

MitigationThis is a firmware-level flaw requiring a patch from Qualcomm for the Snapdragon chipsets, followed by deployment through device manufacturers. Users should apply vendor firmware updates when available.

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
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 412 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 617 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 652 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 your device's Snapdragon chipset model
    Check your device specifications through Settings > About Phone > Chipset/Processor info, or use a device info app like CPU-Z or AIDA64. Alternatively, consult your device manufacturer's documentation or product page.
    Affected if The displayed chipset model matches one of the following: MSM8996au, SD 410, SD 412, SD 617, SD 650, SD 652, SD 810, or SD 820
  2. Confirm SafeSwitch service is present on your device
    SafeSwitch is a Qualcomm firmware feature related to secure state management. Check your device settings for SafeSwitch or secure boot configurations, or examine your device's system partition for SafeSwitch-related services or binaries.
    Affected if SafeSwitch or related secure state management services are found and enabled on the device
  3. Verify firmware version is not patched
    Since all listed firmware versions are affected, check your current firmware version in Settings > About Phone > Build Number or through manufacturer diagnostic tools. Compare against any available Qualcomm or device manufacturer firmware updates.
    Affected if The device firmware is any version prior to an official Qualcomm patch release for this specific CVE

Your device is affected if it contains any of the listed Snapdragon chipsets (MSM8996au, SD 410, SD 412, SD 617, SD 650, SD 652, SD 810, SD 820) with SafeSwitch functionality present, as all firmware versions of these chipsets contain the vulnerability.

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 firmware-level flaw requiring a patch from Qualcomm for the Snapdragon chipsets, followed by deployment through device manufacturers. Users should apply vendor firmware updates when available.

Fix this in Msm8996au Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
80.0 hours of engineering $13,840
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2017-18312 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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