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Apq8009 FirmwareOperating system · Qualcomm

CVE-2019-2303

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
SNDCP module may access array out side its boundary when it receives malformed XID message. in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables in APQ8009, APQ8017, APQ8053, APQ8096AU, APQ8098, MDM9150, MDM9205, MDM9206, MDM9607, MDM9615, MDM9625, MDM9635M, MDM9640, MDM9650, MDM9655, MSM8905, MSM8909, MSM8909W, MSM8917, MSM8920, MSM8937, MSM8939, MSM8940, MSM8953, MSM8976, MSM8996AU, MSM8998, Nicobar, QCM2150, QCS605, QM215, SC8180X, SDA660, SDA845, SDM429, SDM439, SDM450, SDM630, SDM632, SDM636, SDM660, SDM670, SDM710, SDM845, SDM850, SDX20, SDX24, SDX55, SM6150, SM7150, SM8150, SM8250, Snapdragon_High_Med_2016, 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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the SNDCP (Subnetwork Dependent Convergence Protocol) module where processing a malformed XID (Exchange Identification) message causes out-of-bounds array access. This memory corruption in the baseband processor firmware could allow remote code execution with no authentication required.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Qualcomm and downstream device manufacturers. This is a firmware-level issue requiring patches to the baseband processor code; network-level mitigations for malformed XID messages may provide temporary protection until firmware updates are available.

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
Apq8017 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8053 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8096au FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Apq8098 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9150 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9205 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Mdm9206 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 baseband processor chipset model
    Check device documentation, FCC ID filings, or use AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMM or AT+QCFG="nw" on Qualcomm modems) to query the baseband processor model
    Affected if The chipset model matches one of: Apq8009, Apq8017, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Apq8098, Mdm9150, Mdm9205, or Mdm9206
  2. Confirm SNDCP module is present and active
    Verify the device uses GPRS/EDGE or 3G data services which rely on the SNDCP layer. This is typically handled internally by baseband firmware and not directly exposed to the host OS
    Affected if The device supports packet-switched data services over GSM/UMTS networks (SNDCP is used for IP packet encapsulation in 2G/3G) and uses an affected chipset
  3. Check baseband firmware version
    Query the baseband firmware version using vendor-specific AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMR, ATI, or manufacturer-specific commands like AT+QVER="modem")
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be patched to a vendor-supplied update - note that ALL versions of the listed chipsets are affected per the advisory, so any installed version indicates exposure
  4. Verify XID message processing is enabled
    XID negotiation occurs during GPRS/EDGE attach and PDP context activation. This is a standard protocol function that cannot be disabled in normal baseband operation
    Affected if The device performs GPRS/EDGE network attachment or activates PDP contexts (standard mobile data functions) - this is required for the vulnerability trigger

If your device contains any of the listed Qualcomm chipsets (Apq8009, Apq8017, Apq8053, Apq8096au, Mdm9150, Mdm9205, Mdm9206, or Apq8098) and uses standard mobile data services, you are affected since all firmware versions are vulnerable.

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-supplied firmware updates from Qualcomm and downstream device manufacturers. This is a firmware-level issue requiring patches to the baseband processor code; network-level mitigations for malformed XID messages may provide temporary protection until firmware updates are available.

Fix this in Apq8009 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-2019-2303 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