CVE-2019-9443
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 · uneditedIn the Android kernel in the vl53L0 driver there is a possible out of bounds write due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege due to a set_fs() call without restoring the previous limit 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 confidenceIn the Android kernel vl53L0 driver (a Time-of-Flight sensor), there is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability caused by improper use of set_fs() without restoring the previous address space limit. This allows a privileged local attacker to escalate privileges to kernel/system level.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if the device has a vl53L0 Time-of-Flight sensorCheck for the presence of the vl53L0 driver or sensor in the system. Look for /dev/video* nodes associated with ToF sensors, or check /proc/config.gz for CONFIG_VL53L0=m or CONFIG_VL53L0=y kernel config options.Affected if The vl53L0 driver is compiled into the kernel or loaded as a module on the device.
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Verify the Android versionCheck Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shell.Affected if The device runs any version of Android, since all versions are affected per the CVE description.
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Confirm the driver is in use or loadableCheck if the vl53L0 kernel module is loaded by running 'lsmod | grep vl53l0' or look for 'vl53l0' in /proc/modules via adb shell with root access.Affected if The vl53L0 kernel module appears in the list of loaded modules.
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Check for patched kernelReview the kernel version and compare it against vendor security patch dates. Look for kernel patch notes referencing CVE-2019-9443 or the vl53L0 set_fs() fix.Affected if The kernel has not been patched to fix the set_fs() address space limit issue in the vl53L0 driver.
A device is affected if it has a vl53L0 Time-of-Flight sensor with the driver present and is running an Android version without the vendor security patch for CVE-2019-9443.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the vendor patch from the appropriate Android Security Bulletin; the fix requires properly saving and restoring the fs limit around set_fs() calls in the vl53L0 kernel driver.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-9443 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-9443 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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