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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-1538

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-10-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Public exploit 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
Integer overflow in the SampleTable::setSampleToChunkParams function in SampleTable.cpp in libstagefright in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted atoms in MP4 data that trigger an unchecked multiplication, aka internal bug 20139950, a related issue to CVE-2015-4496.

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

Integer overflow vulnerability in libstagefright's SampleTable::setSampleToChunkParams function in Android before 5.1.1. An unchecked multiplication when processing crafted MP4 atom data causes heap corruption, enabling remote arbitrary code execution via malicious MP4 files.

MitigationUpgrade Android devices to version 5.1.1 (LMY48I) or later to obtain the patched libstagefright library; avoid opening untrusted MP4 files from unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:<= 5.1

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 the Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The version is 5.1 or earlier (5.0.x, 4.4.x, 4.3.x, etc.)
  2. Check the libstagefright library version
    Locate libstagefright.so on the device (typically in /system/lib/) and query its version metadata, or check the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
    Affected if The library is older than the version bundled with Android 5.1.1 (LMY48I) or the device lacks the March 2015 or later security patches
  3. Verify MP4 media handling is in use
    Confirm that the device can play MP4 files - check if any media player application that uses libstagefright (the default Android media framework) is installed and functional
    Affected if MP4 playback capability exists, as the vulnerability triggers when processing specially crafted MP4 atom data through libstagefright
  4. Check security patch level
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than March 2015 or is not listed, indicating the CVE fix has not been applied

A user is affected if their device runs Android 5.1 or earlier and lacks the March 2015 libstagefright security patches.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Android devices to version 5.1.1 (LMY48I) or later to obtain the patched libstagefright library; avoid opening untrusted MP4 files from unknown sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 5.1.1 LMY48I or later

  1. 1. Check current Android version on affected device via Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > About Phone > System Updates or check for software update
  3. 3. Download and install Android 5.1.1 LMY48I or later system update
  4. 4. After update, verify the fix by confirming the device runs Android 5.1.1 LMY48I or newer version
  5. 5. If OTA update is unavailable, contact device manufacturer for patched firmware
Caveat Standard Android upgrade - ensure device backup before updating, some apps may have compatibility issues with older API levels

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2015-1538 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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