CVE-2015-8506
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 · uneditedmediaserver 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 24441553, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-6616, CVE-2015-8505, and CVE-2015-8507.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Android's mediaserver component allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause DoS via a crafted media file. The vulnerability affects Android versions before 5.1.1 LMY48Z and before the December 2015 security update for Android 6.0.
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 (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 (any version below 5.1.1 LMY48Z)
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Confirm Android 6.0 patch levelIf the version shows 6.0, check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. On Android 6.0.1 or later, also check the Security patch level date shown there.Affected if The version is 6.0 and the Security patch level is earlier than December 2015, or the device is on Android 6.0 (not 6.0.1) without the December 2015 update
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Verify mediaserver component presenceConfirm the mediaserver service is running on the device. Run 'ps | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell or check in Settings > Applications > Running Services.Affected if The mediaserver process is active on the device (required for the vulnerable code path to exist)
The device is affected if it runs Android 5.0 through 5.1.0 (before LMY48Z) or Android 6.0 without the December 2015 security patch, and the mediaserver component is present and active.
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 appropriate Android security patch (5.1.1 LMY48Z or December 2015 patch level for 6.0) to receive the mediaserver fix. For custom Android forks, the mediaserver code handling media file parsing requires patching for memory safety.
Android 5.1.1 (LMY48Z) or December 2015 security patch level for Android 6.0
- Check current Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version
- For devices on Android 5.0 to 5.1.1: Upgrade to Android 5.1.1 LMY48Z or later via Settings > About Phone > System Updates
- For devices on Android 6.0: Apply the December 2015 security patch or later (system update)
- Ensure the device receives subsequent monthly security updates from the device manufacturer
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8506 — 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-2015-8506 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