dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2011-3874

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-01-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Stack-based buffer overflow in libsysutils in Android 2.2.x through 2.2.2 and 2.3.x through 2.3.6 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an application that calls the FrameworkListener::dispatchCommand method with the wrong number of arguments, as demonstrated by zergRush to trigger a use-after-free error.

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 · high confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in libsysutils (FrameworkListener::dispatchCommand) in Android 2.2-2.2.2 and 2.3-2.3.6 allows arbitrary code execution when an application calls the method with an incorrect number of arguments, as demonstrated by the zergRush root exploit which triggers a use-after-free condition.

MitigationUpgrade to Android 2.3.7 or later; this is a system-level vulnerability in the framework library requiring a firmware update rather than an application-level patch.

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 data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 2.2= 2.2.1= 2.2.2= 2.3= 2.3.1= 2.3.2= 2.3.3= 2.3.4= 2.3.5= 2.3.6

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell, or go to Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Version is 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.3, 2.3.1, 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.3.5, or 2.3.6
  2. Verify libsysutils library presence
    Check if /system/lib/libsysutils.so exists by running 'ls -la /system/lib/libsysutils.so' via ADB shell
    Affected if The library file exists on the device (required for the vulnerable code to be present)
  3. Confirm system server uses FrameworkListener
    Look for processes or services using libsysutils by examining running processes with 'ps -A' via ADB shell; the vulnerable dispatchCommand is invoked when FrameworkListener receives commands with incorrect argument counts
    Affected if System services or any application using the FrameworkListener API are running on a vulnerable Android version

If the device runs Android 2.2 through 2.3.6 and contains the libsysutils library, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Android 2.3.7 or later; this is a system-level vulnerability in the framework library requiring a firmware update rather than an application-level patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 2.3.7 or later (preferably Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich or newer for additional security fixes)

  1. 1. Verify the current Android version by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. If running Android 2.2.x (2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2) or Android 2.3.x (2.3 through 2.3.6), the device is vulnerable
  3. 3. Check if the device manufacturer has provided an official OTA update to Android 2.3.7 or later (or Android 3.x/4.x)
  4. 4. If available, install the official system update via Settings > About Phone > System updates
  5. 5. If no official update is available from the carrier/manufacturer, consider flashing a custom ROM (CyanogenMod or similar) that is based on Android 2.3.7 or newer
  6. 6. Ensure the upgraded system fully boots and verify the Android version shows 2.3.7 or higher
Caveat Upgrading may result in data loss; perform a full backup first. Some apps may be incompatible with newer Android versions. Carrier-specific bloatware or custom ROM features may not carry over.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3874 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-3874 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data