dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-13904

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-02-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Improper input validation in SCM handler to access storage in TZ can lead to unauthorized access in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile in versions MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MDM9655, QCS605, SD 410/12, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 8CX, 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 · moderate confidence

Improper input validation in the SCM (Secure Channel Manager) handler that accesses TrustZone storage allows unauthorized access to protected data. This is a critical flaw in the secure firmware of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets that could allow attackers to bypass TrustZone security boundaries.

MitigationApply firmware updates provided by device OEMs/manufacturers for affected Snapdragon components. If patches are unavailable, consider device replacement as this is a hardware-level firmware vulnerability.

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
Qcs605 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 410 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 12 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 675 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Snapdragon chipset model
    Check the device specifications or use system information commands (such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android or 'lspci'/'dmidecode' on Linux systems) to determine the exact Snapdragon model number
    Affected if The chipset is one of: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Qcs605, Sd 410, Sd 12, or Sd 675
  2. Determine the firmware version of the chipset
    Use manufacturer-provided tools or consult device/system logs to retrieve the current firmware version of the identified Qualcomm Snapdragon component
    Affected if Any firmware version is present on an affected chipset model - all versions are vulnerable
  3. Verify SCM handler accessibility
    Review system configuration or security logs for any indications of SCM (Secure Channel Manager) handler interactions or access attempts. This typically requires access to TrustZone debug interfaces or secure boot logs
    Affected if The SCM handler is accessible or responds to requests from the non-secure world without proper authorization checks
  4. Confirm TrustZone implementation
    Check if the device implements TrustZone technology and whether the secure world (TEE - Trusted Execution Environment) is enabled and operational
    Affected if TrustZone is present and the vulnerable SCM handler can potentially be exploited to access protected data in TrustZone storage

If the device contains any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Qcs605, Sd 410, Sd 12, or Sd 675) with TrustZone enabled, the environment is affected by this vulnerability because all firmware versions of these chipsets contain the flawed SCM handler.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply firmware updates provided by device OEMs/manufacturers for affected Snapdragon components. If patches are unavailable, consider device replacement as this is a hardware-level firmware vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. 1. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to check for available security updates addressing this vulnerability
  2. 2. Do not use the affected device for sensitive operations until a patch is applied
  3. 3. If you are an OEM or system integrator, contact Qualcomm directly for the security patch to TZ (Trust Zone) firmware
  4. 4. Apply the manufacturer-provided security update that includes the fix for CVE-2018-13904
Caveat Device firmware updates must be obtained from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM); Qualcomm provides patches to OEMs but not directly to end users

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,720
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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-2018-13904 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data