dbcve.org
Apq8096 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2019-14015

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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
A stack-based buffer overflow exists in the initialization of the identification stage due to lack of check on the number of templates provided. in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in APQ8096, APQ8096AU, MDM9205, MSM8996, MSM8996AU, Nicobar, QCS404, QCS405, QCS605, Rennell, SA6155P, SC8180X, SDA660, SDA845, SDM630, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SDX24, SDX55, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SXR1130, SXR2130

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 stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon chips occurs during identification stage initialization due to missing bounds checking on the number of templates provided. When more templates are supplied than the fixed-size stack buffer can accommodate, adjacent memory is overwritten, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply firmware updates from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring vendor-provided patches; no user-side workarounds exist.

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
Apq8096 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Msm8996au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Nicobar FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs404 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Qcs405 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 Qualcomm chip model
    Check /proc/cpuinfo, dmesg, or device documentation to determine the exact Snapdragon chipset model (e.g., Apq8096, Msm8996, Qcs404, etc.)
    Affected if The chip model matches any of these: Apq8096, Apq8096au, Mdm9205, Msm8996, Msm8996au, Nicobar, Qcs404, Qcs405
  2. Determine the firmware version
    Query the device firmware version through vendor-specific diagnostic tools, modem AT commands (for cellular modules), or check system firmware attributes if accessible
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is earlier than vendor patches (all versions of the listed firmwares are affected)
  3. Check if identification stage with templates is in use
    Review system logs or firmware configuration for any template-based identification processes, particularly in DSP, modem, or secure processing environments
    Affected if The device uses template-based identification features in the affected firmware components
  4. Verify vendor disclosure status
    Check the device manufacturer security advisory or Qualcomm product security bulletin for CVE-2019-14015 patch availability
    Affected if The vendor has not released a firmware patch for this CVE for the specific device model

A user is affected if their device contains any of the listed Qualcomm firmware variants (Apq8096, Apq8096au, Mdm9205, Msm8996, Msm8996au, Nicobar, Qcs404, Qcs405) and the vendor has not issued a firmware update addressing CVE-2019-14015.

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 firmware updates from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring vendor-provided patches; no user-side workarounds exist.

Fix this in Apq8096 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,200
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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-2019-14015 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