dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2018-9405

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 BnDmAgent::onTransact of dm_agent.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System 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

A missing bounds check in BnDmAgent::onTransact in dm_agent.cpp allows an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. An attacker with System execution privileges can exploit this to escalate privileges locally without user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor patch which adds proper bounds validation in the onTransact function of dm_agent.cpp to prevent out-of-bounds memory writes.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Confirm the target system is running Google Android
    Check the OS version via 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check /system/build.prop for 'ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if The system is not running Google Android (this CVE is Android-specific)
  2. Verify the dm_agent service exists on the device
    Check for the presence of the dm_agent binary or service via 'ls /system/bin/dm_agent' or 'ls /vendor/bin/dm_agent' or look for the service in the service list via 'service list'
    Affected if The dm_agent binary or service is not present (the vulnerable component does not exist)
  3. Check if the device has System privileges available
    Determine if the current user context or an attacker could obtain System-level privileges via 'whoami' or by checking for root/system shell access
    Affected if System-level execution privileges can be obtained (required for exploitation per the CVE description)
  4. Inspect the dm_agent.cpp for missing bounds check
    If binary is accessible, examine the BnDmAgent::onTransact function in dm_agent.cpp for the missing bounds validation (requires source code review or disassembly of the dm_agent binary)
    Affected if The onTransact function lacks proper bounds checking before array access operations

A user is affected if running Google Android with the dm_agent component present and an attacker can obtain System-level execution privileges to trigger the vulnerable onTransact code path.

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 vendor patch which adds proper bounds validation in the onTransact function of dm_agent.cpp to prevent out-of-bounds memory writes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level August 2018 or later

  1. 1. Check the current Android Security Patch Level on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version or Settings > Security > Security patch level
  2. 2. Identify if the device is running a security patch level earlier than the one containing the fix for CVE-2018-9405
  3. 3. Check if the device manufacturer has released a security update for this CVE - contact the device manufacturer or carrier for update availability
  4. 4. If an update is available, apply the system security update through Settings > System > Software Update or Settings > About Phone > Software Update
  5. 5. Verify the device now shows a Security Patch Level that includes the fix (typically August 2018 Security Patch Level or later)
  6. 6. Alternatively, if the device cannot receive updates, consider migrating to a device that receives regular security updates
Caveat Some older devices may no longer receive security updates from manufacturers and may need to be replaced

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9405 — 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-2018-9405 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