dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-13896

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-22
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
XBL_SEC image authentication and other crypto related validations are accessible to a compromised OEM XBL Loader due to missing lock at XBL_SEC stage.. in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8996AU, QCS404, QCS605, Qualcomm 215, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 439 / SD 429, SD 450, SD 625, SD 632, SD 636, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SD 8CX, SDA660, SDM439, SDM630, SDM660, 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 missing lock mechanism at the XBL_SEC (secure bootloader) stage allows a compromised OEM XBL Loader to access XBL_SEC image authentication and cryptographic validations. This enables an attacker who has already compromised the early-stage bootloader to bypass security checks that should be protected in the secure execution environment.

MitigationThis is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a security patch from Qualcomm. End users should apply OEM firmware updates as they become available. No application-level mitigation is possible.

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
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs404 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs605 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qualcomm 215 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 chipset in the device
    Check device documentation, system information, or bootloader logs to determine the exact chipset model (e.g., Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Msm8996au, Qcs404, Qcs605, or Qualcomm 215)
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the affected models: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Msm8996au, Qcs404, Qcs605, or Qualcomm 215
  2. Check the firmware version
    Query the device firmware version through OEM diagnostic tools, AT commands (for modems), or system firmware information
    Affected if The firmware version is any version for the affected chipsets (all versions are impacted)
  3. Verify the device uses XBL bootloader architecture
    Confirm the device employs Qualcomm's XBL (eXecutable Boot Loader) secure boot chain by reviewing boot documentation or bootloader analysis
    Affected if The device implements Qualcomm's XBL bootloader framework and the chipset is in the affected list
  4. Check for OEM security patches
    Contact the device OEM or check release notes for any firmware updates addressing CVE-2018-13896 or Qualcomm security bulletin
    Affected if No security patch from Qualcomm has been applied and the chipset is in the affected list

A device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Msm8996au, Qcs404, Qcs605, or Qualcomm 215) running any firmware version, as all versions of these products lack the XBL_SEC lock mechanism.

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

This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring a security patch from Qualcomm. End users should apply OEM firmware updates as they become available. No application-level mitigation is possible.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2018-13896 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