dbcve.org
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2017-18320

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-01-03
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
QSEE unload attempt on a 3rd party TEE without previously loading results in a data abort in snapdragon automobile and snapdragon mobile in versions MSM8996AU, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 650/52, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, SDX24, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, SXR1130.

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 data abort vulnerability exists in QSEE (Qualcomm Secure Execution Environment) when attempting to unload a 3rd party TEE without having first loaded it. This improper sequence handling in the QSEE unload path triggers a data abort, resulting in a denial of service or potential code execution impact in the trusted execution environment.

MitigationThis is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a patch from Qualcomm to be integrated by OEM/device manufacturers. End users should apply firmware updates from their device vendors once available. No user-level workarounds exist for this hardware/firmware issue.

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 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 439 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 device SoC model
    Check the device specifications or use commands like 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'getprop ro.hardware' on Android to identify the Qualcomm Snapdragon or MSM chipset
    Affected if The SoC is not one of the listed affected models (msm8996au, sd410, sd412, sd425, sd427, sd430, sd435, sd439)
  2. Confirm the exact firmware version
    Access the device's firmware information through manufacturer documentation, device settings about phone, or engineering/engineering modes. For Android, check 'getprop' for ro.build.version.securitypatch or contact the OEM for firmware version details
    Affected if The device runs any firmware version on the affected Qualcomm platforms listed (all versions are affected)
  3. Verify the presence of QSEE TEE environment
    Check if the device uses Qualcomm's Secure Execution Environment by examining system logs, tee-related kernel configs, or security subsystem information. Look for 'QSEE', 'TZ', or 'trustzone' references in /proc/tee* or kernel cmdline
    Affected if The device does not use Qualcomm's QSEE/TZ as its TEE implementation
  4. Determine if 3rd party TEE applications are in use
    Review any installed trusted applications or TEE applets that interact with the QSEE environment. Check for apps that request TEE privileges or use trustlet interfaces
    Affected if No 3rd party TEE applications or trustlets are loaded or used on the device

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm firmware variants (msm8996au, sd410, sd412, sd425, sd427, sd430, sd435, sd439) with QSEE TEE and has or may attempt to unload 3rd party trusted applications, as all firmware versions of these platforms are vulnerable.

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 vulnerability requiring a patch from Qualcomm to be integrated by OEM/device manufacturers. End users should apply firmware updates from their device vendors once available. No user-level workarounds exist for this hardware/firmware issue.

Fix this in Msm8996au Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA16.0 h
88.0 hours of engineering $15,280
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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-2017-18320 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