CVE-2015-3858
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 checkDestination function in internal/telephony/SMSDispatcher.java in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48M relies on an obsolete permission name for an authorization check, which allows attackers to bypass an intended user-confirmation requirement for SMS short-code messaging via a crafted application, aka internal bug 22314646.
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 confidenceThe checkDestination function in Android's SMSDispatcher.java uses an obsolete permission name for authorization checks, which allows malicious applications to bypass the user-confirmation requirement for SMS short-code (premium rate) messaging. This enables unauthorized financial fraud through premium SMS charges without user consent.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone and verify the Android version numberAffected if The Android version is 5.1 or lower (including 5.0, 4.x, and earlier)
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Confirm SMS functionality is presentVerify the device has SMS messaging capability (standard on all Android phones)Affected if SMS functionality exists on the device (virtually all Android devices)
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Identify vulnerable SMS componentThe vulnerability exists in the framework's SMSDispatcher.java, specifically the checkDestination function that handles premium SMS short-code routingAffected if The checkDestination function uses the obsolete permission name instead of the current permission for authorization
A device is affected if it runs Android 5.1 or earlier, as the obsolete permission name in SMSDispatcher's checkDestination function bypasses user confirmation for premium SMS charges.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48M or later. For device manufacturers, ensure the AOSP patch for internal bug 22314646 is integrated into the system image.
Android 5.1.1 LMY48M or later
- Verify current Android version by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
- Back up important data to a computer or cloud storage
- Connect device to Wi-Fi and ensure battery is charged above 50%
- Navigate to Settings > About Phone > System updates or Check for updates
- Download and install Android 5.1.1 LMY48M or later if available
- After update completes, verify the fix by checking Settings > About Phone shows Android 5.1.1 or higher
- Alternatively, contact device manufacturer or carrier for OTA update availability if not showing automatically
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-3858 — 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-2015-3858 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data