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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-6602

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-10-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.1.1 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
libutils in Android through 5.1.1 LMY48M allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted metadata in a (1) MP3 or (2) MP4 file, as demonstrated by an attack against use of libutils by libstagefright in Android 5.x.

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

libutils in Android through 5.1.1 LMY48M contains a memory corruption vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted metadata in MP3 or MP4 files. The vulnerability was demonstrated being exploited through libstagefright's use of libutils in Android 5.x.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for CVE-2015-6602 (October 2015 patch level or later) to affected devices. Organizations should inventory Android devices and ensure they receive official security updates or consider enterprise mobility management solutions for out-of-support devices.

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:<= 5.1.1

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 the Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Record the version number displayed.
    Affected if The Android version is 5.1.1 (LMY48M) or any earlier version such as 5.1.0, 5.0.x, 4.4.x, or below.
  2. Check the Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Security patch level. This is typically found under the Android version or kernel version field, or in Settings > Security > Security update.
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than October 2015, or the field shows no patch date. Devices with October 2015 or later patch levels are fixed.
  3. Confirm the device model receives updates
    Identify the device manufacturer and model number from Settings > About Phone > Model number. Check the manufacturer website or carrier support page to verify whether this specific model is eligible for the October 2015 security update.
    Affected if The device model is not listed as receiving the October 2015 security update, or is on an Android version 5.1.1 or below with no update path.
  4. Verify libstagefright is present
    This check is informational. The vulnerability is triggered through libstagefright when processing MP3/MP4 files with crafted metadata. Most Android 5.x devices have libstagefright enabled by default for media processing.
    Affected if The device runs Android 5.x (5.0 through 5.1.1) with an older patch level, as this indicates the vulnerable code path in libutils is present.

A device is affected if it runs Android 5.1.1 or earlier and has a Security Patch Level earlier than October 2015, as this indicates the unpatched version of libutils with the memory corruption vulnerability is present.

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 5.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the Android security patch for CVE-2015-6602 (October 2015 patch level or later) to affected devices. Organizations should inventory Android devices and ensure they receive official security updates or consider enterprise mobility management solutions for out-of-support devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or later (Android 6.0+ contains the fix for libutils vulnerability in CVE-2015-6602)

  1. Identify all Android devices running version 5.1.1 or earlier in your fleet
  2. Schedule a planned upgrade to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or later for each affected device
  3. Before upgrading, backup critical data and ensure compatibility with existing applications
  4. Apply the upgrade following your organization's standard mobile device management (MDM) procedures
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  6. Confirm that libutils is now running the patched version by reviewing the system security patch level
Caveat Applications written for Android 5.x may have compatibility issues with Android 6.0; test critical business applications before mass deployment; some older devices may not receive Android 6.0 updates and may need replacement

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2015-6602 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