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Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2019-10548

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-21
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
While trying to obtain datad ipc handle during DPL initialization, Heap use-after-free issue can occur if modem SSR occurs at same time in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables in APQ8009, APQ8053, APQ8096AU, MSM8905, MSM8909, MSM8909W, MSM8917, MSM8920, MSM8937, MSM8939, MSM8940, MSM8953, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCA6574AU, QCS605, QM215, SDA660, SDM429, SDM429W, SDM439, SDM450, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SXR1130

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

Heap use-after-free vulnerability in DPL (Data Path Library) initialization code that occurs when attempting to obtain a data IPC handle. A race condition between the DPL initialization and simultaneous modem SSR (Sub-System Restart) causes heap memory to be freed prematurely while still being referenced, leading to use-after-free.

MitigationApply vendor firmware/driver patches that correct the synchronization logic in DPL initialization to prevent the race condition with modem SSR. No workarounds available; this requires code-level fix from Qualcomm or OEM.

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
Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8905 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8917 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8920 FirmwareOperating 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. Identify the chipset model
    Check the device or firmware metadata to determine the Qualcomm chipset (Apq8009, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Msm8905, Msm8909, Msm8909w, Msm8917, or Msm8920). This can be done via /proc/cpuinfo, AT command responses, or OEM firmware information.
    Affected if The chipset matches any of the listed affected models (Apq8009, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Msm8905, Msm8909, Msm8909w, Msm8917, Msm8920).
  2. Check DPL module usage
    Inspect whether the Data Path Library (DPL) is loaded or active on the system. Look for DPL-related processes, kernel modules, or library references in the firmware or runtime environment.
    Affected if DPL is initialized and actively handling data IPC handles on the affected chipset.
  3. Verify modem SSR capability
    Check if the modem Sub-System Restart (SSR) functionality is present and enabled on the device. This is typically controlled by the modem firmware and related Qualcomm components.
    Affected if Modem SSR is present and can trigger simultaneously with DPL initialization, creating the race condition window.
  4. Review kernel/firmware logs for use-after-free indicators
    Examine dmesg, modem logs, or vendor diagnostic logs for any memory corruption, use-after-free, or DPL initialization failure messages occurring during modem SSR events.
    Affected if Logs show heap memory corruption or use-after-free errors related to DPL IPC handle operations during or around modem restart events.

A user is affected if their device uses one of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8009, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Msm8905, Msm8909, Msm8909w, Msm8917, Msm8920) and the DPL Data Path Library is actively used while modem SSR events can occur, creating the race condition window for heap use-after-free.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor firmware/driver patches that correct the synchronization logic in DPL initialization to prevent the race condition with modem SSR. No workarounds available; this requires code-level fix from Qualcomm or OEM.

Fix this in Apq8009 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2019-10548 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