CVE-2015-6619
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 kernel in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48Z and 6.0 before 2015-12-01 allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka internal bug 23520714.
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 confidenceKernel privilege escalation vulnerability in Android versions prior to 5.1.1 LMY48Z and 6.0 before December 2015. Allows a malicious crafted application to elevate privileges beyond its sandbox, potentially achieving root access. The flaw is in the Android kernel itself (internal bug 23520714).
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.
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Check Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in a terminal or ADB shell.Affected if Version is 5.0.x or 5.1.0 (prior to 5.1.1 LMY48Z)
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Check Android 6.0 build dateIf running Android 6.0, go to Settings > About Phone > Build number. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.date' in terminal or ADB. The build date must be on or after December 2015 for the fix.Affected if Running Android 6.0 with build date before December 2015
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Verify kernel versionRun 'uname -r' in a terminal or ADB shell to check the kernel version. Compare against upstream kernel versions that include the fix for bug 23520714.Affected if Kernel version predates the CVE-2015-6619 patch and matches affected Android versions
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Check SELinux enforcement statusRun 'getenforce' in a terminal or ADB shell. While not a complete mitigation, SELinux Enforcing mode may limit exploitability.Affected if SELinux is set to Permissive or Disabled (less restrictive)
You are affected if your Android version is 5.0 through 5.1.0 (before LMY48Z) OR Android 6.0 with a build date prior to December 2015.
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 vendor security patch by updating to Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later, or Android 6.0 build after 2015-12-01. For custom/embedded Android builds, integrate the upstream kernel patch addressing CVE-2015-6619 into the device-specific kernel source.
Android 5.1.1 (LMY48Z) or later for 5.x branch; Android 6.0 with December 2015 security patch or later for 6.0 branch
- Check the current Android version on the device in Settings > About Phone > Android version
- If running Android 5.0 to 5.1.1 (before LMY48Z), upgrade to Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later
- If running Android 6.0 (before December 2015 security patch), upgrade to Android 6.0 with the December 2015 security update or later
- Apply the upgrade via Over-the-Air (OTA) update or through the device manufacturer's firmware update
- After upgrading, verify the Android version reflects the fixed release in Settings > About Phone
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,192.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6619 — 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-2015-6619 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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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