CVE-2015-1536
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 · uneditedInteger overflow in the Bitmap_createFromParcel function in core/jni/android/graphics/Bitmap.cpp in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I allows attackers to cause a denial of service (system_server crash) or obtain sensitive system_server memory-content information via a crafted application that leverages improper unmarshalling of bitmaps, aka internal bug 19666945.
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 confidenceInteger overflow in Bitmap_createFromParcel in Android's native bitmap handling code (core/jni/android/graphics/Bitmap.cpp). When unmarshalling bitmaps from a Parcel, the bitmap dimensions are not properly bounds-checked, allowing overflow in size calculations. This can cause system_server crash (denial of service) or expose sensitive system_server memory contents via out-of-bounds read operations.
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<= 5.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shellAffected if Version is 5.1 or earlier (5.1.0, 5.0.x, 4.x, etc.)
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Check Android build numberGo to Settings > About Phone > Build number, or run 'getprop ro.build.display.id' via adb shellAffected if Build is earlier than LMY48I (5.1.1) such as LMY47V, LMY47D, or any 5.1.0 build
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Verify system_server process versionRun 'adb shell dumpsys package --versions' to confirm system framework version, or check /system/build.prop for 'ro.build.version.sdk' and 'ro.build.version.release'Affected if SDK version is 22 or lower, or release shows 5.1 or earlier
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Identify apps using Parcel bitmap unmarshallingReview app code for Intent extras, Binder calls, or ContentProvider results that transfer Bitmap objects, as these trigger the vulnerable code path in system_serverAffected if Any installed app receives Bitmap objects via IPC (very common - includes camera, gallery, messaging apps)
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Confirm system library stateCheck if /system/lib/libandroid_runtime.so exists and is from a pre-fix build; run 'adb shell md5sum /system/lib/libandroid_runtime.so' if baseline availableAffected if Library is from Android 5.1 or earlier and has not received the bounds-check patch
A device is affected if it runs Android 5.1 or earlier (build before LMY48I) and runs any app that transfers bitmap data via Parcel, which is the default behavior for most Android apps.
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 dataUpdate Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48I or later, which contains the proper bounds validation in the bitmap unmarshalling code. Application developers should target recent Android API levels to ensure their apps benefit from platform-level security fixes.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-1536 — 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-2015-1536 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
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