CVE-2015-6620
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 · uneditedlibstagefright in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48Z and 6.0 before 2015-12-01 allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bugs 24123723 and 24445127.
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 confidencelibstagefright privilege escalation vulnerability in Android allowing a crafted application to obtain Signature or SignatureOrSystem level permissions, effectively giving attackers high-level device control. The flaw exists in libstagefright media library processing.
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 version numberGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell.Affected if Version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1, or 6.0 (exact versions 5.0 through 5.1.1_excluding 5.1.1, and exactly 6.0)
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Check build ID and security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Build number. Run 'getprop ro.build.id' and 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell.Affected if Build ID is earlier than LMY48Z for Android 5.x, or security patch level is earlier than December 2015 for Android 6.0
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Verify libstagefright is in useCheck if any media apps or processes use the stagefright library. Run 'pm list packages -i | grep -i stagefright' or inspect installed apps that handle media (videos, ringtones, MMS) via ADB.Affected if Media handling apps are installed and libstagefright is the underlying media framework (default on affected Android versions)
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Check for Signature or SignatureOrSystem permissions grantedReview app permissions using 'dumpsys package <package_name>' for any suspicious apps. Look for dangerous permissions or SignatureOrSystem level access granted to third-party apps.Affected if Any third-party application has been granted SignatureOrSystem level permissions, which should not happen for normal apps
Your device is affected if it runs Android 5.0 through 5.1.1 (excluding 5.1.1) or exactly Android 6.0 and has not received the respective security updates.
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
Update Android devices to version 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later for Android 5.x, or apply the December 2015 security patch for Android 6.0. This is a critical priority given the 9.3 CVSS score and the availability of vendor patches.
Android 5.1.1 (LMY48Z) or Android 6.0 with December 2015 security update or later
- Check the current Android version on the device in Settings > About Phone > Android version
- For devices running Android 5.0.x or 5.1.0: Upgrade to Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later by checking for system updates in Settings > About Phone > System Updates
- For devices running Android 6.0: Apply the December 2015 security patch or later by checking for system updates
- After updating, verify the patch date in Settings > About Phone > Android version (should show December 2015 or later for Android 6.0, or 5.1.1 LMY48Z for 5.x devices)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 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 $8,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6620 — 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-2015-6620 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
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