CVE-2018-9364
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 the LG LAF component, there is a special command that allowed modification of certain partitions. This could lead to bypass of secure boot. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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 · moderate confidenceThe vulnerability exists in LG's LAF (LG Android Flash) component, which provides a download mode for flashing devices. A special undocumented command allows modification of specific partitions, which can be leveraged to bypass secure boot verification. This enables an attacker to write to protected partitions (like boot or system) without proper cryptographic signature validation, breaking the boot chain integrity.
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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if the device is an LG device or runs LG firmwareCheck the device manufacturer and model information via 'Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer' or by reviewing the bootloader splash screen on device bootAffected if The device is manufactured by LG or contains LG's LAF (LG Android Flash) component in its firmware
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Verify presence of LAF download modeAttempt to enter LAF mode by powering off the device, then holding Volume Down + Power button (or check device-specific key combination for 'Download Mode' on LG devices)Affected if The device boots into a proprietary LG download/firmware flash interface (often labeled 'LG Flash' or 'Download Mode') rather than standard Android recovery or fastboot
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Confirm undocumented LAF command availabilityWhile in LAF mode, attempt to issue undocumented partition modification commands through USB debugging or LAF flashing utility (this requires specific LG tooling)Affected if The LAF interface accepts commands to modify protected partitions (boot, system) without returning signature validation errors
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Check if secure boot verification is bypassedAfter attempting partition modifications via LAF, verify the device still boots and check if custom unsigned images were successfully written to protected partitionsAffected if Unsigned or custom partitions can be flashed via LAF without cryptographic signature verification failing, indicating secure boot is not enforced for LAF operations
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Verify boot chain integrity statusReboot the device after LAF partition modifications and check if the device passes verified boot checks (on supported devices, check 'dm-verity' status or bootloader verification status)Affected if The device boots successfully with modified unsigned partitions or shows no signature verification errors, indicating the boot chain integrity can be broken
A device is affected if it is an LG device (or runs LG firmware with the LAF component) and the LAF download mode permits writing to protected partitions without signature validation, allowing bypass of secure boot verification.
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 dataOEM firmware update from LG is required to remove or properly secure this undocumented command in the LAF component. Users should apply manufacturer security updates promptly.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9364 — 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-2018-9364 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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