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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-3842

HIGH · 9.3 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
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
Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in libeffects in the Audio Policy Service in mediaserver in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted application, aka internal bug 21953516.

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 · moderate confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in libeffects within the Audio Policy Service of Android's mediaserver component. A specially crafted application can overflow heap buffers in the affected library, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. This affects Android versions prior to 5.1.1 LMY48I.

MitigationUpdate affected Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48I or later to incorporate the security patch. For unpatchable devices, minimize risk by restricting app installations to trusted sources and reviewing application permissions.

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
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 OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Version is 5.1 or lower (5.0, 4.4, 4.3, etc.)
  2. Check Android build/ID
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build number, or run 'getprop ro.build.id' via ADB shell
    Affected if Build ID is earlier than LMY48I (for example, LMY47V, LMY47D, etc.)
  3. Verify patch level date
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if Security patch level is empty or shows a date before July 2015
  4. Confirm mediaserver component exists
    Run 'ps -A | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell to verify the mediaserver process is running
    Affected if Mediaserver process is present (which is default on affected versions)
  5. Check for libeffects library
    Run 'ls -l /system/lib/libeffects.so' or 'ls -l /vendor/lib/libeffects.so' via ADB shell to verify the library exists
    Affected if The libeffects library file exists on the device

The device is affected if it runs Android version 5.1 or lower with a build ID earlier than LMY48I (or no security patch level listed), as the heap overflow in libeffects within the Audio Policy Service exists in these versions.

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

Update affected Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48I or later to incorporate the security patch. For unpatchable devices, minimize risk by restricting app installations to trusted sources and reviewing application permissions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 5.1.1 LMY48I or later (latest stable 5.x release recommended)

  1. Verify current Android version by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Ensure device is not rooted/modified in ways that block official updates
  3. Check for system updates by going to Settings > About Phone > Check for updates, or check with your carrier/device manufacturer
  4. If updates are available, download and install Android 5.1.1 LMY48I or later (preferably latest available stable release)
  5. After update, verify the fix by confirming Android version is 5.1.1 LMY48I or higher
Caveat Major Android version upgrades may cause app incompatibility or require data backup before proceeding; some apps may not support older Android versions after upgrade

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

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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-2015-3842 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