CVE-2018-11285
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 Snapdragon (Automobile, Mobile, Wear) in version MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SDA660, SDM429, SDM439, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM710, SDX20, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, while parsing FLAC file with corrupted picture block, a buffer over-read can occur.
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 confidenceBuffer over-read vulnerability in Snapdragon SoC FLAC parser when processing corrupted picture block data in audio files. An attacker could exploit this by tricking a user into playing a specially crafted FLAC file, potentially causing denial of service or information disclosure.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Identify the device SoC modelCheck the device specifications or system information to determine the Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC model (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd210, Sd212, Sd205)Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC models (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd210, Sd212, or Sd205)
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Check the firmware versionRetrieve the firmware version from the device settings, about phone page, or by querying the system (e.g., Settings > About Phone, or using adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch or similar)Affected if The firmware version is present and corresponds to any version of the listed affected SoCs, as all versions are affected
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Verify FLAC playback capabilityCheck if the device has an audio player or codec that supports FLAC file format playback. Look for FLAC support in the device audio codec list or media player capabilitiesAffected if The device includes a FLAC parser or audio player capable of processing FLAC files using the Qualcomm FLAC decoder
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Inspect the FLAC parser componentExamine the installed audio codecs or media framework components for the presence of the vulnerable Qualcomm FLAC parser module (if accessible via system diagnostics or security audit tools)Affected if The Qualcomm FLAC parser component is present and handles picture block data in FLAC files
The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC models (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8909w, Msm8996au, Sd210, Sd212, or Sd205) with firmware that includes a FLAC playback feature capable of processing picture block data.
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 dataApply Qualcomm firmware patches distributed through device manufacturers/OEMs; users should avoid opening untrusted FLAC files until firmware updates are installed.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA12.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $16,768.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11285 — 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-2018-11285 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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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.
- 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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