dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2018-9462

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-05
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 store_cmd of ftm4_pdc.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect 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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the store_cmd function of ftm4_pdc.c, a kernel driver for display/panel functionality. The issue stems from an incorrect bounds check that allows writing beyond allocated buffer boundaries. Successful exploitation enables local privilege escalation from an unprivileged context to System-level privileges without user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied kernel/security patch for CVE-2018-9462 which corrects the bounds check logic in the ftm4_pdc.c driver. As this is a kernel-level fix, it requires a system update deployment.

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. Check if the ftm4_pdc driver is present
    On the Android device, check /sys/module/ or /dev/ for ftm4_pdc presence. Run: ls /sys/module/ | grep -i ftm4_pdc or ls /dev/ | grep -i ftm4. Alternatively, check /proc/modules for the loaded module.
    Affected if The ftm4_pdc driver module is loaded on the device and the device has not received the CVE-2018-9462 patch
  2. Verify the Android security patch level
    On the Android device, go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level, or run: getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than August 2018 (the month when this vulnerability was patched by Google)
  3. Check the kernel version
    Run: uname -r or cat /proc/version on the Android device to obtain the kernel version string
    Affected if The kernel version predates the August 2018 Android security update; note that actual patch dates vary by device manufacturer
  4. Inspect the ftm4_pdc driver for vulnerable code
    If the driver source or binary is accessible, examine the store_cmd function in ftm4_pdc.c for the bounds check logic. Look for the specific code pattern where the boundary condition allows write operations beyond the allocated buffer size.
    Affected if The driver source/binary contains the vulnerable bounds check logic that permits out-of-bounds writes in the store_cmd function

The device is affected if the ftm4_pdc driver is present and the Android Security Patch Level is earlier than August 2018, or if the kernel version predates the CVE-2018-9462 fix.

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-supplied kernel/security patch for CVE-2018-9462 which corrects the bounds check logic in the ftm4_pdc.c driver. As this is a kernel-level fix, it requires a system update deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android devices with July 2018 security patch level (2018-07-01) or later

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. Ensure the device has received the July 2018 security patch level (2018-07-01) or later
  3. If the device is still on an older patch level, check for and apply any available system updates from the device manufacturer
  4. For enterprise or managed devices, use mobile device management (MDM) to verify compliance with the July 2018 security patch requirement
  5. If the device cannot receive official security updates, consider replacing with a device that receives regular security patches
Caveat Users should ensure their device still functions properly after applying manufacturer updates; some older devices may stop receiving updates

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2018-9462 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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