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Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2019-14071

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
Compromised reset handler may bypass access control due to AC config is being reset if debug path is enabled to collect secure or non-secure ram dumps in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking in APQ8017, APQ8053, APQ8096, APQ8096AU, IPQ6018, MDM9205, MSM8917, MSM8920, MSM8937, MSM8940, MSM8953, MSM8996, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCM2150, QCS404, QCS405, QCS605, QM215, Rennell, SA6155P, SC8180X, SDA660, SDA845, SDM429, SDM439, SDM450, SDM630, SDM632, 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 · moderate confidence

A reset handler in affected Qualcomm Snapdragon chips can be compromised to bypass access control. When the debug path is enabled to collect secure or non-secure RAM dumps, the Access Control (AC) configuration gets reset, allowing unauthorized access to protected memory regions.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware patches from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. If debug features are not required for production environments, disable debug paths to reduce attack surface.

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
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ipq6018 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9205 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 board documentation, or read the SoC identifier from /proc/cpuinfo or equivalent system information on an embedded device. Common locations: /proc/cpuinfo, /sys/devices/soc0/soc_id, or check bootloader bootloader strings.
    Affected if The chipset model matches Apq8017, Apq8053, Apq8096, Apq8096au, Ipq6018, Mdm9205, Msm8917, or Msm8920.
  2. Determine firmware version
    Query the firmware or baseband version via AT commands (for modems), via /proc/version, or through vendor-specific diagnostic interfaces. For Qualcomm chipsets, check the reported firmware build string or MPSS version.
    Affected if The installed firmware version corresponds to any release of the affected chipsets listed in the CVE.
  3. Check if debug features are enabled
    Inspect the boot configuration, debug policy settings, or secure boot state. Look for indicators such as: JTAG enabled status, debug policy flags in bootloader configuration (e.g., SBL logs or PBL flags), presence of RAM dump collection features, or diagnostic interfaces accessible in production builds. Consult vendor documentation for chipset-specific debug configuration registers or configuration files.
    Affected if Debug paths or RAM dump collection features are enabled or accessible on the device.
  4. Verify Access Control configuration
    Examine the Access Control (AC) configuration after a reset or power cycle event. This may require reading secure configuration registers via JTAG, debug interface, or vendor-provided diagnostic tools. Check whether the AC tables or policies are reloaded correctly after reset, particularly when debug features are triggered.
    Affected if The AC configuration is reset or reconfigured when the debug path is accessed, allowing unauthorized access to protected memory regions.

The environment is affected if the device uses one of the listed Qualcomm chipset models with debug features enabled, as the vulnerability allows Access Control bypass when RAM dump or debug paths are accessed.

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-provided firmware patches from Qualcomm and device manufacturers. If debug features are not required for production environments, disable debug paths to reduce attack surface.

Fix this in Apq8017 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation12.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,760
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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-2019-14071 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