CVE-2014-9972

In all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, disabling asserts can potentially cause a NULL pointer dereference during an…

published August 18, 2017

CVSS
—
EPSS
1%
Percentile
63.2
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A sneaky NULL pointer dereference can happen if asserts are disabled during an out-of-memory situation in Qualcomm Android products. 😱 Think of it like a restaurant running out of critical ingredients but just ignoring the sign that says 'do not serve without these'—you could end up with a recipe that doesn't work at all! In this scenario, if the system encounters an out-of-memory condition, it could crash unexpectedly, leading to potential data loss or system instability. This may not be on the critical list, but it’s still something to keep an eye on to prevent any kitchen disasters!

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant running out of critical ingredients but just ignoring the sign that says 'do not serve without these'—you could end up with a recipe that doesn't work at all! The vulnerability arises when assertions are disabled, leading to a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel, which is particularly risky during memory resource shortages.

What to do

In this scenario, if the system encounters an out-of-memory condition, it could crash unexpectedly, leading to potential data loss or system instability. This may not be on the critical list, but it’s still something to keep an eye on to prevent any kitchen disasters! To mitigate this issue, ensure that asserts are enabled in your Android builds and monitor memory usage closely. If you're using affected Qualcomm products, consider checking for software updates that address this condition. 🛡️ You've got this! Stay vigilant and keep those asserts in place to ensure your system runs smoothly! 💪✨

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01033 · 63.2th percentile
Published
2017-08-18T18:00Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 18 AUG 18:00Z
    In all Qualcomm products with Android releases from CAF using the Linux kernel, disabling asserts can potentially cause a NULL pointer dereference during an…
    cvelistv5