CVE-2015-6642
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 LMY49F and 6.0 before 2016-01-01 allows attackers to obtain sensitive information, and consequently bypass an unspecified protection mechanism, via unknown vectors, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bug 24157888.
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 · moderate confidenceA kernel-level vulnerability in Android versions prior to 5.1.1 LMY49F and 6.0 before January 2016 allows attackers to obtain sensitive information and bypass an unspecified protection mechanism. The vulnerability is demonstrated through obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access levels, indicating a privilege escalation or information disclosure issue at the Android kernel level.
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= 5.1.0= 6.0= 6.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, use 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'Affected if The version is 5.1.0, 6.0, or 6.0.1
-
Verify patch level for Android 6.0Go to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level, or use 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'Affected if The device runs Android 6.0 or 6.0.1 with a security patch level before January 2016
-
Confirm build ID for Android 5.1.xGo to Settings > About Phone > Build number, or use 'adb shell getprop ro.build.id'Affected if The device runs Android 5.1.0 (versions 5.1.1 LMY49F and later are patched)
The device is affected if it runs Android 5.1.0, or Android 6.0/6.0.1 without the January 2016 security patch applied.
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 · scopedApply the Android security updates released for versions 5.1.1 LMY49F and 6.0 (January 2016 or later) to patch the kernel vulnerability. Organizations should ensure mobile device management (MDM) policies enforce OS version compliance and work with device manufacturers/carriers for timely system updates.
Android 5.1.1 LMY49F or later for 5.x branch; Android 6.0 with January 2016 security patch or Android 6.0.1 for 6.x branch
- 1. Check current Android version by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
- 2. For Android 5.1.0 devices: Upgrade to Android 5.1.1 LMY49F or later (or highest available 5.1.x version)
- 3. For Android 6.0 devices: Ensure the device receives the January 2016 security patch update (released 2016-01-01 or later)
- 4. If device cannot receive updates: Consider replacing with a device that receives regular security updates
- 5. Verify the update was applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Android version after update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing24.0 h
- Review / QA12.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,360.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6642 — 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-2015-6642 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