CVE-2020-11177
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 · uneditedUser can overwrite Security Code NV item without knowing current SPC due to improper validation of SPC code setting and device lock in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Snapdragon chipsets allows an authenticated user to overwrite the Security Code NV item without knowing the current SPC (Service Programming Code) due to improper validation of the SPC code setting and device lock. This represents a security bypass that could allow unauthorized modification of security configurations on affected mobile, IoT, and compute devices.
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 versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 the Snapdragon chipset modelCheck the processor/chipset identification on the device (e.g., /proc/cpuinfo on Android, or system information utilities). Determine the exact APQ variant (Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8084, Apq8096au, or Aqt1000).Affected if The device uses any of the listed affected APQ chipset variants.
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Determine firmware versionRetrieve the firmware version from the device system information or modem firmware logs. Compare the installed firmware version against the most recent vendor-supplied update.Affected if The firmware version is older than the patched version provided by the device manufacturer or Qualcomm.
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Check service programming interface exposureAudit network and diagnostic interfaces for exposed service programming ports (such as DM, QPST, or manufacturer-specific diagnostic ports). Review access controls on these interfaces.Affected if Service programming interfaces are accessible to unauthorized or untrusted users.
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Verify SPC authentication enforcementReview security logs or test the SPC authentication flow if you have diagnostic access. Confirm that the Security Code NV item cannot be modified without valid SPC authentication.Affected if The SPC validation can be bypassed or is improperly enforced when attempting to modify security-related NV items.
The device is affected if it contains any of the listed Qualcomm APQ chipsets (Apq8009, Apq8009w, Apq8017, Apq8037, Apq8053, Apq8084, Apq8096au, Aqt1000) and is running firmware without the SPC validation fix.
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 vendor-supplied firmware updates from Qualcomm or device manufacturers that address the SPC validation flaw. Until patches are available, restrict access to service programming interfaces and monitor for unauthorized security configuration changes.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11177 — 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-2020-11177 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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- 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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