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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-3849

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
The Region_createFromParcel function in core/jni/android/graphics/Region.cpp in Region in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48M does not check the return values of certain read operations, which allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via an application that sends a crafted message to a service, aka internal bug 21585255.

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

The Region_createFromParcel function in Android's native graphics code (core/jni/android/graphics/Region.cpp) fails to validate return values from read operations during IPC parcel unmarshaling. This allows a malicious application to send crafted messages to a service, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution due to unchecked bounds/reads.

MitigationUpdate Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48M or later, which includes the patched Region.cpp with proper return value checking. NoWorkarounds exist for this platform-level vulnerability; system-level patching is required.

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 and the May 2015 security patch (LMY48M or later) has not been applied
  2. Verify security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build number, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if The patch level is earlier than 2015-05-01 or the property is empty, indicating the security update is not installed
  3. Confirm framework library state
    Check if /system/lib/libandroid_runtime.so exists and its modification date; this library contains the vulnerable Region.cpp code in unpatched versions
    Affected if The library exists from a pre-May 2015 build and no OTA security update has been applied

If the device runs Android 5.1 or earlier without the May 2015 security patch LMY48M or later, the Region.cpp vulnerability in the parcel unmarshaling code is present and exploitable via malicious IPC messages.

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 Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48M or later, which includes the patched Region.cpp with proper return value checking. NoWorkarounds exist for this platform-level vulnerability; system-level patching is required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 5.1.1 (build LMY48M) or later

  1. Verify the current Android version on the device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Check if your device manufacturer has released an OTA update for Android 5.1.1 (build LMY48M) or later
  3. If an OTA update is available, download and install it via Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Check for Updates
  4. If no OTA update is available from your manufacturer, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular security updates, or check if a custom ROM with Android 5.1.1+ is available for your device
  5. After upgrade, verify the Android version is 5.1.1 LMY48M or higher to confirm the vulnerability is patched
Caveat Upgrading Android versions may cause compatibility issues with older applications or result in data loss - backup important data before upgrading. Some older devices may not receive this update from manufacturers.

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
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-3849 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