CVE-2017-9686
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 · uneditedIn Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android, with all Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, there is a possible double free/use after free in the SPS driver when debugfs logging is used.
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 double free/use-after-free vulnerability exists in the SPS (Serial Peripheral Interface) driver in Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android when debugfs logging is enabled. The memory corruption occurs in the driver's logging functionality due to improper memory handling, potentially allowing local privilege escalation or system instability.
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= 8.0CVSS 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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Verify Android version is 8.0Check the system property ro.build.version.release or Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The device is running Android 8.0 exactly (affected version)
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Confirm SPS driver is loadedCheck if the SPS driver module exists by looking in /sys/class/sps/ or checking lsmod for sps-related modulesAffected if The SPS driver is present on the system
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Verify debugfs is accessibleCheck if debugfs is mounted by running 'mount | grep debugfs' or checking /sys/kernel/debug/ is accessibleAffected if Debugfs is mounted and accessible
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Check SPS driver debugfs logging statusInspect the SPS driver debugfs entries, typically under /sys/kernel/debug/sps/ or check for log-enabled files in the driver debugfs directoryAffected if Debugfs logging is enabled in the SPS driver (vulnerable condition)
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Review kernel logs for memory handling issuesCheck dmesg or /proc/kmsg for any double-free or use-after-free errors related to the SPS driver or sps driverAffected if Memory corruption errors related to SPS driver appear in kernel logs
A user is affected if the device runs Android 8.0 with the SPS driver loaded and debugfs logging enabled for that driver.
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 dataDisable debugfs logging in the SPS driver or apply the vendor-provided patch that addresses the memory management flaw in the driver code.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9686 — 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-2017-9686 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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