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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-18644

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with L(5.1), M(6.x), and N(7.x) software. There is a muic_set_reg_sel heap-based buffer overflow during the reading of MUIC register values. The Samsung ID is SVE-2017-10011 (December 2017).

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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the muic_set_reg_sel function of Samsung mobile devices running Android L(5.1), M(6.x), and N(7.x). The overflow occurs during reading of MUIC (Micro USB Interface Controller) register values, allowing potential arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply Samsung firmware updates that address SVE-2017-10011; devices running affected Android versions should be patched to receive vendor security updates.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 5.1= 6.0= 6.0.1= 7.0= 7.1.0= 7.1.1= 7.1.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 manufacturer
    Check the device settings or system properties to confirm the device is a Samsung mobile device (check Build.MANUFACTURER or Build.BRAND)
    Affected if Device is not made by Samsung - this vulnerability affects Samsung mobile devices specifically
  2. Check the Android version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Android version is 5.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.0, 7.1.1, or 7.1.2 - these are the exact affected versions listed
  3. Verify the MUIC component is present
    Check for the presence of the MUIC (Micro USB Interface Controller) kernel driver by examining /sys/class/muic/ or running 'ls /sys/class/muic/' via ADB shell
    Affected if The MUIC driver exists on the device - the vulnerability is in the muic_set_reg_sel function of this component
  4. Confirm SELinux or kernel-level access
    The vulnerability is exploitable through the MUIC driver - verify the device is not running in a restricted container or sandbox that prevents direct hardware register access
    Affected if The device allows direct access to MUIC registers - the overflow occurs during reading of MUIC register values in the kernel driver

The device is affected if it is a Samsung mobile device running Android 5.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.0, 7.1.1, or 7.1.2 with an active MUIC driver component.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Samsung firmware updates that address SVE-2017-10011; devices running affected Android versions should be patched to receive vendor security updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Android 8.0+ or a newer Samsung device model that receives ongoing security updates; Samsung's December 2017 security bulletin (SVE-2017-10011) contains the fix for this vulnerability

  1. Identify your specific Samsung device model number (go to Settings > About Phone > Model Number)
  2. Check your current Android security patch level (go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level)
  3. If your device is on Android 5.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, or 7.0, you must upgrade to a newer Android version to receive the security fix
  4. For Samsung devices, check if your model received the December 2017 security patch (SVE-2017-10011) by visiting Samsung's security updates page at security.samsungmobile.com
  5. If no update is available for your device, consider upgrading to a device that currently receives monthly security updates from Samsung
  6. Alternatively, if you must continue using the affected device, avoid using USB accessories that trigger the MUIC driver until a patch is available
Caveat Upgrading Android major versions may cause data loss; backup all data before upgrading; some apps may be incompatible with newer Android versions; older hardware may not support newer Android releases

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,880
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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-2017-18644 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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