CVE-2018-11921
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 · uneditedFailure condition is not handled properly and the correct error code is not returned. It could cause unintended SUI behavior and create unintended SUI display in Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear in versions MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8996AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 430, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 800, SD 810, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, SDA660, SDA845, SDX24, SXR1130.
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 confidenceA failure condition in the Secure User Interface (SUI) subsystem of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets is not handled properly, causing incorrect error codes to be returned. This can lead to unintended SUI behavior and display, potentially allowing security bypasses in the trusted UI environment.
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
- 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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Identify the device chipset modelOn Android devices, check /proc/cpuinfo or use 'getprop ro.hardware' in ADB shell to retrieve the chipset identifierAffected if The chipset matches one of the affected models: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8996au, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, or Sd 410
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Verify the chipset is a Qualcomm Snapdragon variantReview the hardware identification output to confirm it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and not a different vendorAffected if The device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset from the affected product list
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Confirm the firmware versionCheck the firmware or baseband version via 'getprop ro.build.version.incremental' or 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' in ADB shellAffected if Any firmware version is present on the listed affected chipsets (all versions are vulnerable)
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Determine if Trusted UI / SUI is in useReview system logs or consult device documentation to confirm the Secure User Interface subsystem is active on the deviceAffected if The device implements and utilizes the Secure User Interface (SUI) or Trusted UI feature, which is the component with the vulnerability
The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8996au, Sd 210, Sd 212, Sd 205, Sd 410) with the Secure User Interface subsystem enabled, regardless of firmware version.
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 the Qualcomm firmware/security patch for CVE-2018-11921 through device manufacturer OTA updates; contact your device vendor for availability of patched firmware versions.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $8,320.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11921 — 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-2018-11921 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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