dbcve.org
Snapdragon Auto FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-5839

HIGH · 7.1 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 →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Improperly configured memory protection allows read/write access to modem image from HLOS kernel in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile in versions MDM9150, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8996AU, QCS605, SD 636, SD 675, SD 712 / SD 710 / SD 670, SD 820, SD 820A, SD 835, SD 845 / SD 850, SD 855, SD 8CX, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660, SDX20, 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

Improperly configured memory protection in Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets allows the High Level Operating System (HLOS) kernel to have unauthorized read/write access to the modem firmware image, which should be isolated and protected. This improper configuration breaks the security boundary between the application processor and the modem subsystem.

MitigationApply Qualcomm-provided firmware/microcode updates and associated driver patches that properly configure memory protection boundaries to isolate the modem image from HLOS kernel access. Users should monitor for OEM firmware updates.

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
Snapdragon Auto FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Snapdragon Compute FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Snapdragon Consumer Internet Of Things FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Snapdragon Industrial Internet Of Things FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9625 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9635m 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
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 Qualcomm chipset model
    On Android devices, check /proc/cpuinfo or go to Settings > About Phone > Model/Hardware information. Look for Snapdragon or MDM identifiers in the processor or baseband information.
    Affected if The chipset matches any of the affected products: Snapdragon Auto, Compute, Consumer IoT, or Industrial IoT Firmware; or any Mdm9150, Mdm9615, Mdm9625, or Mdm9635m device.
  2. Check the baseband/modem firmware version
    On Android, go to Settings > About Phone > Baseband version or use 'getprop' command in terminal to retrieve 'gsm.version.baseband' property. Record the full version string.
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined, is older than any available OEM/firmware update, or the device has never received a security update that would address this vulnerability.
  3. Verify if HLOS kernel can access modem memory region
    This requires low-level debugging access. Check if /dev/mdm or similar modem device nodes exist and have read/write permissions accessible from the HLOS kernel context. Inspect memory maps for unrestricted HLOS access to modem firmware regions.
    Affected if The HLOS kernel has direct read/write access to the isolated modem firmware memory region, indicating the memory protection boundary is not properly configured.
  4. Check device OEM support status
    Contact the device manufacturer or check their support website for security update history. Verify if a firmware patch addressing CVE-2018-5839 has been released for your specific device model.
    Affected if The device manufacturer has not released a firmware update that addresses this vulnerability, or the device is no longer supported with security updates.

The device is affected if it uses any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets and has not received the OEM firmware update that properly configures memory protection boundaries between the HLOS kernel and modem subsystem.

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 Qualcomm-provided firmware/microcode updates and associated driver patches that properly configure memory protection boundaries to isolate the modem image from HLOS kernel access. Users should monitor for OEM firmware updates.

Fix this in Snapdragon Auto Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2018-5839 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