CVE-2016-0825
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 Widevine Trusted Application in Android 6.0.1 before 2016-03-01 allows attackers to obtain sensitive TrustZone secure-storage information by leveraging kernel access, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bug 20860039.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Android 6.0.1's Widevine Trusted Application (DRM component) allows an attacker with kernel-level access to bypass TrustZone isolation and obtain sensitive secure-storage information. The issue stems from improper access controls between the kernel (normal world) and the Trusted Execution Environment (secure world), potentially exposing DRM keys or other secrets protected by the Widevine TA.
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= 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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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Verify Android version is 6.0.1Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in a terminal or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The version shown is exactly 6.0.1 (versions before or after this specific release are not affected by this CVE)
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Confirm Widevine DRM is in useCheck for Widevine DRM by running 'getprop ro.drm.enabled' or inspecting /system/lib/mediadrm for Widevine librariesAffected if Widevine DRM is present and enabled on the device; the vulnerability only applies when the Widevine Trusted Application is present
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or look at Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if The patch level is blank or shows a date on or before 2016-03-01; patches released after this date contain the fix for this TrustZone isolation bypass
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Determine if kernel-level access is plausibleThis is a kernel-to-TrustZone attack; check if the device has known kernel exploits or if it is a locked-down device where kernel-level code execution is plausibleAffected if An attacker has already achieved kernel-level code execution (normal world); the vulnerability is exploited from the kernel to break into the TEE (secure world)
A device is affected if it runs Android 6.0.1 with Widevine DRM enabled and lacks the post-March-2016 security update, and if kernel-level compromise is a realistic threat vector for the device's deployment context.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Android security update released after 2016-03-01, which contains the vendor patch for this Widevine TA vulnerability. For embedded Android devices, ensure the chipset/bsp provider has applied the TrustZone patch.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0825 — 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-2016-0825 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