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Ipq8074 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-5837

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-09-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Snapdragon (Automobile, Mobile, Wear) in version IPQ8074, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9640, MDM9650, MSM8996AU, QCA6574AU, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845, SD 850, SDA660, SDM429, SDM439, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM710, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, MAC address randomization performed during probe requests is not done properly due to a flawed RNG which produced repeating output much earlier than expected.

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 flawed RNG (Random Number Generator) in Snapdragon chips used for MAC address randomization during WiFi probe requests produces predictable/repeating output much earlier than expected. This defeats the privacy purpose of MAC randomization, allowing attackers to track devices across different networks by correlating the non-random MAC addresses.

MitigationApply firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and device manufacturers that address the flawed RNG in the WiFi driver. Users should check for and apply available system/firmware updates from their device OEMs.

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
Ipq8074 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
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qca6574au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd210 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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 chipset model
    Check the device specifications or system information to determine if the device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Look for model numbers: Ipq8074, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9640, Mdm9650, Msm8996au, Qca6574au, or Sd210.
    Affected if The device uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chip models.
  2. Check WiFi functionality is enabled
    Verify that WiFi is turned on and active on the device. The flaw specifically affects MAC address randomization in WiFi probe requests, so WiFi must be enabled for this vulnerability to be relevant.
    Affected if WiFi is enabled and the device uses an affected Qualcomm chipset.
  3. Verify firmware version
    Check the installed firmware version of the Qualcomm chip. This information is typically found in the device's about page, system settings, or by querying the bootloader/dmesg output. Compare the version against any available patch information from Qualcomm.
    Affected if The device runs any firmware version on the listed affected chip models.
  4. Observe MAC address behavior
    Use a WiFi monitoring tool or packet capture to observe the MAC addresses emitted in probe requests. Check if the MAC address remains constant across multiple probe requests or changes predictably rather than appearing fully randomized.
    Affected if The MAC address in WiFi probe requests shows predictable patterns or repeats rather than proper randomization.

A device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm Snapdragon chip models (Ipq8074, Mdm9206, Mdm9607, Mdm9640, Mdm9650, Msm8996au, Qca6574au, Sd210) with WiFi enabled, as the flawed RNG in the firmware causes predictable MAC address randomization in probe requests.

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 firmware updates provided by Qualcomm and device manufacturers that address the flawed RNG in the WiFi driver. Users should check for and apply available system/firmware updates from their device OEMs.

Fix this in Ipq8074 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2018-5837 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