CVE-2015-6617
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 · uneditedSkia, as used in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48Z and 6.0 before 2015-12-01, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted media file, aka internal bug 23648740.
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 memory corruption vulnerability exists in Skia, Android's graphics library, when processing specially crafted media files. The flaw allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause a denial of service by triggering heap corruption during media file parsing, as referenced by internal bug 23648740.
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>= 5.0, < 5.1.1= 6.0CVSS 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.
-
Check the Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run `getprop ro.build.version.release` via ADB shell.Affected if The version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1, or 5.1.0 (these are all affected before the 5.1.1 fix).
-
Verify if running Android 6.0Confirm the Android version shows exactly 6.0 (API level 23).Affected if The device is on Android 6.0, which contains the vulnerable Skia library before the December 2015 patch.
-
Check the security patch level on Android 6.0Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. On ADB, run `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch`.Affected if The patch level is earlier than December 1, 2015 (or not displayed), meaning the Skia fix has not been applied.
-
Identify if Skia media parsing is in useThe vulnerability triggers when processing media files (images, videos) through Skia. Check if applications that parse untrusted media content are in use.Affected if The device processes user-supplied media files through Android's Skia graphics library, which is the default behavior for many media handling apps.
A device is affected if it runs Android 5.0 through 5.1.0, or Android 6.0 with a security patch level earlier than December 2015, and processes media files through the Skia library.
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 · scoped5.1.1
Apply the Android security updates released for versions 5.1.1 (LMY48Z) and 6.0 (December 2015 patch level) or later, which contain the patched Skia library. Organizations should ensure devices can receive and have applied these OTA updates.
Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later; Android 6.0 with December 2015 security patch or later
- Backup all important data on the Android device
- Ensure the device is connected to a stable power source
- Navigate to Settings > About Phone > System Updates
- Check for and install available system updates
- For Android 5.0-5.1.0 devices, install Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later
- For Android 6.0 devices, install the December 2015 security update or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6617 — 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-2015-6617 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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