dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-9697

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android, with all Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, a race condition can allow access to already freed memory while reading command registration table entries in diag_dbgfs_read_table.

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 race condition in the diag debugfs interface (diag_dbgfs_read_table) allows use-after-free when reading command registration table entries. The vulnerability exists in Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android with CAF Linux kernels. An attacker with local access could trigger the race between reading and freeing of memory to execute code or cause denial of service.

MitigationApply kernel patches from CAF (CodeAurora Forum) for this vulnerability. If patches are unavailable, consider disabling the diag debugfs interface or restricting local access to prevent exploitation.

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:= 8.0

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/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. Verify Android version is 8.0
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if The version equals 8.0 exactly, as this is the only affected Android version listed
  2. Confirm running a CAF/MSM kernel
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to identify the kernel variant; look for 'CAF', 'MSM', or ' Qualcomm' in the kernel string
    Affected if The kernel is a CAF (CodeAurora Forum) or MSM-specific build commonly used in Qualcomm-based Android devices
  3. Check if debugfs is mounted
    Run 'mount | grep debugfs' or check /sys/kernel/debug/ directory exists and is accessible
    Affected if debugfs is mounted and the /sys/kernel/debug/ directory is accessible to the local user
  4. Verify diag debugfs interface exists
    Check for the presence of /sys/kernel/debug/diag/ or run 'ls -la /sys/kernel/debug/ | grep diag'
    Affected if The diag debugfs interface exists, indicating the vulnerable code path is present in the kernel

A user is affected if running Android 8.0 on a CAF/MSM kernel with the diag debugfs interface accessible in debugfs.

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

Apply kernel patches from CAF (CodeAurora Forum) for this vulnerability. If patches are unavailable, consider disabling the diag debugfs interface or restricting local access to prevent exploitation.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing40.0 h
  • Review / QA16.0 h
88.0 hours of engineering $14,800
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $23,680.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9697 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-9697 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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