Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9463 is a high-severity Android kernel issue involving a touch driver. A local attacker with low privileges could potentially gain higher privileges without user interaction. The source bundle does not identify active exploitation or give a complete device/version list.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority endpoint hygiene issue for potentially affected Android fleets, especially unsupported devices. There is no evidence of active exploitation in the supplied sources, but the impact is high because the flaw is in kernel-level code.
Technical view
The issue is an out-of-bounds write in sw49408_irq_runtime_engine_debug within touch_sw49408.c, caused by an incorrect bounds check. It is mapped to CWE-787 and scored CVSS 3.1 7.8: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely limited to Android kernel builds containing the affected sw49408 touch driver, as referenced through Google’s Pixel security bulletin. The supplied data does not confirm all affected devices, OEM builds, or kernel branches.
Exploitation context
No KEV listing is provided, and the bundle does not cite active exploitation. Exploitation is local, requires some prior privilege, and does not require user interaction. The source text also references System execution privileges, but exact preconditions are not fully explained.
Researcher notes
The record is sparse: it identifies the function, file, CWE, CVSS, and Pixel bulletin reference, but not a full affected-version matrix or exploit status. Research should focus on correlating device kernel sources, bulletin patch levels, and OEM backports.
Mitigation direction
- Review Google Pixel August 2018 bulletin guidance for this CVE.
- Apply vendor-supported Android or Pixel kernel security updates where applicable.
- Prioritize devices with affected Android kernel touch driver components.
- Retire or isolate unsupported devices that cannot receive vendor fixes.
- Do not rely on app updates to remediate kernel driver flaws.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android and Pixel devices by model, build, and patch level.
- Confirm whether devices include the sw49408 touch driver or affected kernel branch.
- Check patch level against the relevant Google Pixel bulletin.
- Verify OEM advisory coverage for non-Google Android devices.
- Track unsupported devices separately for replacement or isolation decisions.
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-787: 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-2018-9463 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
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2018-08-01CVE 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 Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.