CVE-2018-9416
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 sg_remove_scat of scsi/sg.c, there is a possible memory corruption due to an unusual root cause. 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 · moderate confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in the sg_remove_scat function of the Linux kernel's SCSI generic (sg) driver allows local privilege escalation from System execution privileges. The unusual root cause leads to memory corruption that can be exploited to gain elevated privileges.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm the device runs Google AndroidCheck /system/build.prop for 'ro.product.model' and verify the manufacturer/vendor is Google Android. This CVE affects only Google Android devices.Affected if The device is NOT running Google Android (e.g., is a generic Linux system, iOS, or a different Android fork)
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Check for sg driver presenceExamine if the SCSI generic (sg) driver is built into the kernel or loaded as a module. On Android, check /proc/config.gz (if available) for CONFIG_SCSI_SG or examine /sys/module/ for sg module presence. The vulnerability exists in the sg_remove_scat function.Affected if The sg driver is present and the kernel is exploitable (Android all versions contain the vulnerable code)
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Verify kernel version against fixed releaseRun 'uname -a' to obtain the kernel version. Compare the version number to the security bulletin release that patched CVE-2018-9416. The patch is a kernel-level fix.Affected if The kernel version predates the CVE-2018-9416 security patch release date for the Android version in use
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Check for kernel symbols related to vulnerable functionIf root access is available, check /proc/kallsyms for the presence of 'sg_remove_scat' symbol. A patched kernel may have this function modified or removed. Use 'grep sg_remove_scat /proc/kallsyms' if accessible.Affected if The vulnerable function symbol exists in the running kernel without the memory corruption fix applied
The environment is affected if it runs Google Android with a kernel version prior to the CVE-2018-9416 security patch and has the sg driver present with the vulnerable sg_remove_scat function.
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 kernel security update/patch for CVE-2018-9416 and reboot to the patched kernel version. This is a kernel-level fix requiring system update and reboot.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9416 — 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-2018-9416 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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