CVE-2018-5897
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 · uneditedWhile reading the data from buffer in dci_process_ctrl_status() there can be buffer over-read problem if the len is not checked correctly in Android releases from CAF using the linux kernel (Android for MSM, Firefox OS for MSM, QRD Android) before security patch level 2018-06-05.
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 buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the dci_process_ctrl_status() function within the Qualcomm Device Control Interface (DCI) subsystem. The function fails to properly validate the length parameter before reading data from a buffer, allowing an attacker to read beyond the intended buffer boundaries. This could enable information disclosure or potentially aid in further exploitation.
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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 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 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shellAffected if The patch level is earlier than 2018-06-05, meaning the June 2018 security update has not been applied
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Verify DCI kernel driver presenceRun 'ls -la /dev/dci*' or check /proc/devices for DCI character device, or grep for 'dci' in /proc/kallsyms via ADB shellAffected if The DCI device interface exists in /dev or is registered in the kernel, indicating the vulnerable subsystem is active
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Confirm kernel source includes DCI supportCheck kernel configuration: look for CONFIG_QCOM_DCI or CONFIG_QCOM_DEVICE_CONTROL_INTERFACE in /proc/config.gz or the kernel boot configAffected if The DCI driver is compiled into the kernel (not disabled), making the attack surface active
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Identify the baseband or LTE subsystem versionRun 'getprop ro.baseband' or check AT command outputs via serial/diag interface for DCI protocol version infoAffected if The device uses a Qualcomm baseband processor with DCI enabled, as DCI is a Qualcomm-specific interface
A device is affected if it runs Android without the June 2018 security patch and has the Qualcomm DCI subsystem enabled in the kernel.
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 2018-06-05 security patch level for affected Android devices, which includes proper bounds checking in the dci_process_ctrl_status() function to validate buffer length before data access.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-5897 — 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-2018-5897 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
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