dbcve.org
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-11966

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-04-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Undefined behavior in UE while processing unknown IEI in OTA message in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables in MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8909W, MSM8996AU, QCS605, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 650/52, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, SM7150, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, 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 confidence

A parsing vulnerability exists in the modem/baseband firmware of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets where processing an unknown Information Element Identifier (IEI) in an Over-The-Air (OTA) message triggers undefined behavior. This indicates the firmware lacks proper bounds checking or error handling when encountering unexpected IEIs in wireless signaling messages, potentially leading to memory corruption or a denial-of-service condition.

MitigationApply vendor firmware updates from Qualcomm and downstream device manufacturers. This vulnerability resides in the baseband modem firmware and cannot be mitigated through configuration or application-level changes.

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
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9640 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Qualcomm modem/baseband chipset
    Query the device hardware information or system logs to determine the chipset model (e.g., via 'at+cgmm' AT command, baseband diagnostic interface, or hardware specifications)
    Affected if The chipset model is one of: Mdm9150, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9640, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Msm8909w, or Msm8996au
  2. Retrieve the baseband firmware version
    Use vendor-specific diagnostic tools or AT commands to query the modem firmware version (e.g., 'at+qmss' or manufacturer-provided firmware inspection tools)
    Affected if Any firmware version is loaded on an affected chipset listed above (all versions of these firmwares are affected per the advisory)
  3. Confirm the device processes OTA signaling
    Verify the device has cellular connectivity and can receive Over-The-Air messages from mobile networks
    Affected if The device operates on cellular networks (this is inherent to any device using these modem chipsets)

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9150, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9640, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Msm8909w, Msm8996au) regardless of firmware version, since all versions of these modem firmwares are vulnerable.

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 vendor firmware updates from Qualcomm and downstream device manufacturers. This vulnerability resides in the baseband modem firmware and cannot be mitigated through configuration or application-level changes.

Fix this in Mdm9150 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $5,840
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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-2018-11966 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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