dbcve.org
Mdm9206 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2018-5881

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-01-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 validation of buffer length checks in the lwm2m device management protocol can leads to a buffer overflow in snapdragon mobile and snapdragon wear in versions MDM9206, MDM9607, SD 210/SD 212/SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 636, SD 835, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the LwM2M (Lightweight Machine to Machine) device management protocol due to improper validation of buffer length checks. This affects specific Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile and wearable processors (MDM9206, MDM9607, SD 210/212/205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430, SD 435, SD 450, SD 625, SD 636, SD 835, SDA660, SDM630, SDM660). An attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via specially crafted LwM2M messages.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware/security patches from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. Network-level filtering and authentication for LwM2M traffic can reduce exposure until firmware updates are deployed.

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
Sd 210 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 212 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 425 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 427 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Sd 430 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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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 processor chipset model
    Check device specifications, system information, or bootloader/UEFI data to determine the exact Qualcomm Snapdragon or MDM model number (e.g., MDM9206, MDM9607, SD 210, SD 212, SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430)
    Affected if The chipset matches one of the affected models listed in the CVE (MDM9206, MDM9607, SD 210, SD 212, SD 205, SD 425, SD 427, SD 430)
  2. Verify LwM2M client is enabled
    Check device configuration, boot parameters, or running services for LwM2M client daemon (often named lwm2m, leshan, or part of IoT device management services). Inspect /etc/init.d/, systemctl list-units, or similar service listings if accessible
    Affected if An LwM2M client service or process is actively running or configured to start on the device
  3. Confirm LwM2M server connection
    Inspect network configuration, LwM2M client configuration files (such as lwm2m.xml, bootstrap.json, or manufacturer provisioning files), or monitor network traffic for LwM2M protocol traffic on ports 5683 or 5684
    Affected if The device is configured to connect to an LwM2M server or acts as an LwM2M bootstrap server
  4. Check firmware version
    Query the device's firmware version through manufacturer diagnostic tools, AT commands (for modems), bootloader access, or device management interfaces. Compare against vendor release notes
    Affected if Firmware version cannot be determined or is confirmed to be unpatched (note: CVE states all versions are affected)
  5. Review LwM2M message handling configuration
    If accessible, inspect LwM2M stack configuration files or memory allocation settings to verify buffer size validations are in place. Look for any security-related configuration flags for the LwM2M implementation
    Affected if Buffer length validation appears absent or disabled in the LwM2M stack configuration

A device is likely affected if it uses one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets AND has LwM2M protocol enabled or configured for device management, regardless of firmware version since all versions are impacted.

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 vendor-supplied firmware/security patches from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. Network-level filtering and authentication for LwM2M traffic can reduce exposure until firmware updates are deployed.

Fix this in Mdm9206 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-5881 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-5881 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