Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2019-10616

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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
Possibility of null pointer access if the SPDM commands are executed in the non-standard way in TZ. in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in APQ8009, APQ8016, MDM9150, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9650, MSM8905, MSM8909, MSM8909W, MSM8998, SA6155P, SDX24

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 null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in TrustZone (TZ) when SPDM (Security Protocol and Data Model) commands are executed in a non-standard way. The flaw could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service via null pointer access. SPDM is used for firmware/software measurement and security management in the trusted execution environment.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update from Qualcomm for affected Snapdragon chipsets. Device manufacturers using these chips should deploy the patched firmware to end users.

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
Apq8016 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9607 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9650 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8905 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8909w 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 or processor model in your device
    Use system information commands (such as 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Linux, or check device specifications/datasheets) to determine the exact Qualcomm chipset model
    Affected if The chipset matches any of the following: Apq8009, Apq8016, Mdm9150, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8905, Msm8909, or Msm8909w
  2. Verify the firmware version of the affected chipset
    Check the TrustZone firmware version through manufacturer documentation, device diagnostics, or by querying the secure enclave/TEE information if accessible
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be updated or the device is running any firmware version on an affected chipset (all versions are impacted)
  3. Determine if SPDM is enabled in the Trusted Execution Environment
    Inspect the TrustZone configuration or TEE settings to check whether the Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM) module is active or loaded
    Affected if SPDM is enabled and the device uses an affected Qualcomm chipset
  4. Check for abnormal behavior or crashes related to TrustZone
    Review system logs, kernel logs (dmesg), or crash dumps for null pointer dereference errors occurring in TrustZone or TEE components
    Affected if Null pointer dereference errors appear in TrustZone-related log entries when SPDM commands are processed

Your environment is affected if you are using any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8009, Apq8016, Mdm9150, Mdm9607, Mdm9650, Msm8905, Msm8909, Msm8909w) and SPDM is enabled in the TrustZone trusted execution environment.

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 the vendor-supplied firmware update from Qualcomm for affected Snapdragon chipsets. Device manufacturers using these chips should deploy the patched firmware to end users.

Fix this in Apq8009 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-10616 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