dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2018-9366

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
In IMSA_Recv_Thread and VT_IMCB_Thread of ImsaClient.cpp and VideoTelephony.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. 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 · high confidence

Integer overflow in IMSA_Recv_Thread and VT_IMCB_Thread in Android's ImsaClient.cpp and VideoTelephony.c allows out-of-bounds memory write, enabling local privilege escalation without user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for November 2018 (or later) which addresses CVE-2018-9366 by implementing proper bounds checking in the IMS and VideoTelephony integer operations.

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
AndroidOperating 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
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check the installed Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. The fix for CVE-2018-9366 is included in the November 2018 security update or later.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than November 2018 or shows no date.
  2. Verify the ImsaService component presence
    Check if the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) service is running on the device. On Android devices with IMS capability, this may be visible in Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > IMS or via shell command 'dumpsys ipacm' or checking /vendor/etc/init/init.ipacm.rc.
    Affected if IMS service is present and the device lacks the November 2018 or later security patch.
  3. Confirm VideoTelephony component availability
    Check if VideoTelephony functionality exists on the device. This is typically a system service. Look for packages like com.android.phone or check 'pm list packages' output for video telephony related packages.
    Affected if VideoTelephony component exists and the device lacks the November 2018 or later security patch.
  4. Review system build fingerprint
    Execute 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' via ADB shell to retrieve the full build string. Cross-reference the date in the fingerprint against the November 2018 security patch release.
    Affected if The build fingerprint indicates a security patch date before November 2018.

A device is affected by CVE-2018-9366 if it runs any version of Android without the November 2018 (or later) security update, as both the IMS and VideoTelephony integer overflow vulnerabilities exist in unpatched builds.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Android security patch for November 2018 (or later) which addresses CVE-2018-9366 by implementing proper bounds checking in the IMS and VideoTelephony integer operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android devices: October 2018 Security Patch Level (2018-10-01) or later

  1. Apply the October 2018 Android Security Patch Level or later to the device. This patch contains the fix for CVE-2018-9366 in the IMS (ImsaClient.cpp) and Video Telephony (VideoTelephony.c) components.
  2. Verify the patch has been applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level - it should show October 2018 or later.
  3. For devices with custom ROMs or those no longer receiving official updates, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular security updates or flashing a vendor-provided firmware image containing the October 2018 security patch.
Caveat Devices that are no longer supported by OEMs may not receive this patch; consider hardware replacement if the device cannot be updated

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2018-9366 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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