Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9456 is an Android vulnerability that can let a remote attacker crash affected devices or services. The cited record describes denial of service, not data theft or code execution. It affects Android 7, 8, 8.1, and listed Android development branches if not patched.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority legacy Android availability risk. It is most urgent where old Android devices support operations, field work, kiosks, or other business processes where remote crashes could disrupt service.
Technical view
The flaw is an out-of-bounds read in sdpu_extract_attr_seq in sdp_utils.cc caused by an incorrect bounds check. CVE data maps it to CWE-125 with CVSS 3.1 score 7.5, network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in legacy Android 7, 8, or 8.1 devices that missed the Android September 2018 security bulletin updates. Other versions are listed with default status unaffected in the source bundle.
Exploitation context
The sources say exploitation requires no privileges and no user interaction and can be remote. The bundle does not cite active exploitation, public exploit activity, or CISA KEV listing; KEV is false.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports an Android SDP utility out-of-bounds read with remote denial-of-service impact. The bundle does not provide exploit details, attack prerequisites beyond CVSS, or device-specific OEM patch mapping, so validation should focus on patch-level evidence rather than assumptions.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Android security updates covering the September 2018 bulletin.
- Confirm OEM firmware includes the relevant Android security bulletin fixes.
- Prioritize unsupported Android 7, 8, and 8.1 devices for replacement or isolation.
- Check vendor guidance for device-specific update availability.
- Restrict use of unpatched legacy Android devices in critical workflows.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android device versions and security patch levels.
- Identify Android 7, 8, and 8.1 devices still in service.
- Confirm each device received the September 2018 Android security bulletin fixes.
- Review MDM or asset records for unsupported OEM firmware.
- Track exceptions where patch evidence is unavailable.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-9456 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2018-09-01CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.