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Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-3591

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-11
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
In Android before security patch level 2018-04-05 on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9635M, MDM9650, MDM9655, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 410/12, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 615/16/SD 415, SD 625, SD 650/52, SD 820, SD 835, SD 845, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, the default build configuration of deviceprogrammer in BOOT.BF.3.0 enables the flag SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK_NOT_RECOMMENDED_BY_QUALCOMM which will open up the peek and poke commands to any memory location on the target.

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

The deviceprogrammer component in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets has a default build configuration that enables the SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK_NOT_RECOMMENDED_BY_QUALCOMM flag, which bypasses secure boot verification and exposes peek and poke commands for unrestricted read/write access to any memory location on the target device.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later, which disables the insecure SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK flag and enforces secure boot validation. This requires a firmware update from the device OEM.

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
Mdm9635m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9655 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 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 chipset model
    Determine the exact chipset variant by checking the device hardware specifications, bootloader strings, or /proc/cpuinfo on the device. Look for identifiers such as mdm9206, mdm9607, mdm9635m, mdm9650, mdm9655, sd210, sd212, or sd205.
    Affected if The device uses any of the following chipsets: Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9635m, Mdm9650, Mdm9655, Sd 210, Sd 212, or Sd 205.
  2. Check the bootloader or firmware configuration for SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK flag
    Inspect the bootloader binary or firmware image for the presence of the string 'SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK_NOT_RECOMMENDED_BY_QUALCOMM' or 'SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK'. This may require extracting and analyzing the firmware using tools like binwalk, or reading bootloader output over a serial debug interface.
    Affected if The firmware contains the SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK flag enabled, indicating secure boot verification is bypassed.
  3. Verify secure boot enforcement status
    Attempt to boot the device with a modified or unsigned boot image. If the device boots successfully or does not verify the boot chain integrity, secure boot is not enforced. Alternatively, check bootloader debug output for messages indicating secure boot validation passed or failed.
    Affected if Secure boot validation is bypassed or fails to enforce signature verification on boot images.
  4. Test for peek and poke command availability
    Access the device programmer or diagnostic interface (often available through USB debugging, serial console, or dedicated diagnostic ports). Attempt to execute peek (read memory) or poke (write memory) commands to access arbitrary memory locations outside the intended scope.
    Affected if Peek and poke commands are accessible and allow unrestricted read/write access to any memory location on the device.
  5. Check the Android security patch level
    On Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level. Verify if the installed patch level is earlier than 2018-04-05.
    Affected if The security patch level is before April 5, 2018, and the device uses an affected chipset.

A device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets and has the SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK flag enabled in firmware, resulting in bypassed secure boot and exposed memory access commands.

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 the Android security patch level 2018-04-05 or later, which disables the insecure SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK flag and enforces secure boot validation. This requires a firmware update from the device OEM.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2018-04-05 or later for affected Qualcomm Snapdragon devices (MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9635M, MDM9650, MDM9655, SD 210, SD 212, SD 205, and other listed variants)

  1. Update the Android device to security patch level 2018-04-05 or later. This patch addresses the SKIP_SECBOOT_CHECK_NOT_RECOMMENDED_BY_QUALCOMM configuration issue in the deviceprogrammer bootloader component.
  2. Verify the update was applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level on the device.
  3. Ensure the device receives subsequent security updates to maintain protection against related vulnerabilities.

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
  • Implementation40.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA16.0 h
88.0 hours of engineering $15,280
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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-2018-3591 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