CVE-2015-3845
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 · uneditedThe Parcel::appendFrom function in libs/binder/Parcel.cpp in Binder in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48M does not consider parcel boundaries during identification of binder objects in an append operation, which allows attackers to obtain a different application's privileges via a crafted application, aka internal bug 17312693.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in Android's Binder IPC mechanism where the Parcel::appendFrom function in libs/binder/Parcel.cpp fails to properly validate parcel boundaries when appending binder objects. This allows a malicious application to reference binder objects from another application's parcel, potentially enabling privilege escalation by accessing objects outside the intended parcel scope.
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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 lower (5.1, 5.0, 4.x, etc.)
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Confirm Binder IPC is in useBinder is a core Android IPC mechanism - verify by checking if /dev/binder exists (run 'ls -la /dev/binder' in ADB shell)Affected if The device uses Android's Binder framework (which is always true for standard Android)
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Check if Parcel::appendFrom patch is appliedInspect the source code of libs/binder/Parcel.cpp in the system library, looking for boundary validation in the appendFrom function, or check system logs for related security patchesAffected if The Parcel::appendFrom function lacks proper parcel boundary validation when appending binder objects
If the Android version is 5.1 or lower and the device uses the standard Binder IPC mechanism, the environment is likely affected by this vulnerability.
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 LMY48M or later, which contains the official patch. For custom ROMs or embedded systems, apply the vendor-supplied patch that adds proper boundary checking in the Parcel::appendFrom function.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-3845 — 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-2015-3845 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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