AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-9276

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-09-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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
In the Android kernel in the synaptics_dsx_htc touchscreen driver there is a possible out of bounds write due to a use after free. This could lead to a local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in the synaptics_dsx_htc touchscreen driver within the Android kernel leads to an out-of-bounds write, enabling local privilege escalation to System level without user interaction.

MitigationApply the appropriate Android kernel security patch for CVE-2019-9276; affected devices require a kernel update that addresses the use-after-free in the touchscreen driver.

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
AndroidOperating 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 if synaptics_dsx_htc driver is present
    Check the kernel module directory or driver files for 'synaptics_dsx_htc' (e.g., look for .ko files or driver entries in /proc/kallsyms, /sys/module, or device-specific driver paths)
    Affected if The driver file or module named synaptics_dsx_htc exists on the device
  2. Verify the Android kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to obtain the kernel version, then compare against the version that includes the CVE-2019-9276 patch (contact device manufacturer for patch date)
    Affected if The kernel version predates the CVE-2019-9276 security patch for this driver
  3. Check if touchscreen uses the affected driver
    Inspect /sys/class/input or /sys/bus/platform/devices for the touchscreen driver binding, or check dmesg for 'synaptics_dsx_htc' driver initialization messages
    Affected if The device touchscreen is initialized using the synaptics_dsx_htc driver
  4. Look for use-after-free indicators in kernel logs
    Review dmesg or kernel log buffers for memory corruption, driver crashes, or unexpected behavior related to the touchscreen driver
    Affected if Kernel logs show memory corruption or driver instability involving synaptics_dsx_htc that may indicate exploitation of this flaw

The device is affected if it contains the synaptics_dsx_htc touchscreen driver and is running an Android kernel version that predates the CVE-2019-9276 security patch.

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 appropriate Android kernel security patch for CVE-2019-9276; affected devices require a kernel update that addresses the use-after-free in the touchscreen driver.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-9276 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