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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2015-8507

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-12-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
mediaserver in Android 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 24157524, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-6616, CVE-2015-8505, and CVE-2015-8506.

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 confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Android 6.0's mediaserver component allowing remote code execution or DoS via specially crafted media files. This is a critical severity flaw (CVSS 9.3) stemming from improper input validation when processing media files.

MitigationApply the December 2015 Android security patch or later. For unpatched devices, implement network-level controls to block untrusted media files and consider enterprise mobility management solutions to identify and segregate vulnerable devices.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 6.0

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Android version is exactly 6.0
    Check the device settings under Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The version displays exactly 6.0 (Android Marshmallow)
  2. Confirm mediaserver component is running
    Run 'ps | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell to verify the mediaserver process is active on the device
    Affected if The mediaserver process is visible in the process list
  3. Determine patch level of the Android installation
    Check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than December 2015 or cannot be verified
  4. Assess network exposure to untrusted media sources
    Review network connectivity and identify if the device can receive media files from untrusted sources (e.g., web browsing, MMS, third-party apps)
    Affected if The device has unrestricted network access and can process media files from untrusted sources without additional validation

A device is affected if it is running Android version 6.0 exactly with a pre-December 2015 security patch level and has the mediaserver component active with exposure to untrusted media files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the December 2015 Android security patch or later. For unpatched devices, implement network-level controls to block untrusted media files and consider enterprise mobility management solutions to identify and segregate vulnerable devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 6.0 with December 2015 security patch level (or Android 6.0.1+)

  1. Check your Android device for system updates and ensure you have the December 2015 security patch level (2015-12-01) or later installed
  2. Verify your Android security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  3. If your device manufacturer has not released the December 2015 security update for Android 6.0, consider upgrading to a newer Android version that receives regular security updates
  4. Contact your device carrier or manufacturer to confirm the availability of security updates for this vulnerability
Caveat Older devices may not receive further security updates; upgrading to a newer Android version may be required

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-8507 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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