CVE-2017-9687
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, two concurrent threads/processes can write the value of "0" to the debugfs file that controls ipa ipc log which will lead to the double-free in ipc_log_context_destroy(). Another issue is the Use-After-Free which can happen due to the race condition when the ipc log is deallocated via the debugfs call during a log print.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in the IPA (Internet Protocol Adapter) debugfs logging subsystem where concurrent writes of '0' to the ipa ipc log control file trigger a double-free in ipc_log_context_destroy(), and a race condition between log deallocation via debugfs and active log printing causes use-after-free.
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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Check Android versionLook up the device Android version in Settings > About Phone or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release'Affected if The version is exactly 8.0 (Android O) - earlier or later versions are not affected by this specific CVE
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Verify IPA driver presenceCheck if the IPA (Internet Protocol Adapter) driver is loaded by running 'lsmod | grep ipa' or checking /sys/kernel/debug/ipa/ for ipa-related debugfs entriesAffected if The IPA driver is not loaded or the ipa debugfs directory does not exist - the vulnerability only applies when IPA driver is present
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Confirm debugfs is mountedRun 'mount | grep debugfs' or check if /sys/kernel/debug is accessibleAffected if debugfs is not mounted - the vulnerable code path requires debugfs access to the IPA logging control interface
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Locate IPA ipc log control fileLook for debugfs entries under /sys/kernel/debug/ipa/ related to ipc logging or ipa log control - this is the specific file that accepts '0' writes to trigger the double-freeAffected if The ipa ipc log control file exists in debugfs and is writable - combined with previous conditions, this confirms the vulnerable code path is accessible
A system is affected if it is Android 8.0 with the IPA driver loaded, debugfs mounted, and the IPA ipc log control interface accessible in debugfs - only then can concurrent writes trigger the double-free or use-after-free conditions.
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 dataThis kernel-level vulnerability requires a vendor patch to the IPA driver; users should apply available Android/CAF security updates. No workarounds exist for kernel driver race conditions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,384.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9687 — 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-2017-9687 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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