CVE-2018-5896
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 · uneditedIn Android releases from CAF using the linux kernel (Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android) before security patch level 2018-06-05, kernel panic may happen due to out-of-bound read, caused by not checking source buffer length against length of packet stream to be copied.
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 confidenceA kernel vulnerability in Android MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, and QRD Android builds allows an out-of-bounds read due to missing validation of source buffer length against the packet stream length being copied, potentially causing kernel panic.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'Affected if The patch level is earlier than 2018-06-05 or the property is empty/unavailable
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Verify kernel versionRun 'adb shell uname -a' or check via Settings > About Phone > Kernel versionAffected if Kernel version cannot be verified against a fixed version since this is a logic flaw, but an older kernel combined with old patch level indicates higher likelihood of being unpatched
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Confirm MSM chipset usageRun 'adb shell getprop ro.hardware' or check device specs for MSM (Snapdragon) modem/processorAffected if Device does not use MSM chipset - the vulnerability specifically affects MSM-based implementations (MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android builds)
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Check build fingerprint for QRD/Firefox OS variantsRun 'adb shell getprop ro.build.fingerprint' to identify if the build is a QRD (Qualcomm Reference Design) or Firefox OS variantAffected if Build is a QRD or Firefox OS for MSM variant and has older patch level
The environment is affected if the device uses an MSM chipset and has a security patch level earlier than 2018-06-05, or if the patch level cannot be determined.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the Android security patch level 2018-06-05 or later to address this vulnerability in affected kernel implementations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-5896 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-5896 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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