CVE-2016-0829
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 BnGraphicBufferProducer::onTransact function in libs/gui/IGraphicBufferConsumer.cpp in mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY49H, and 6.x before 2016-03-01 does not initialize a certain output data structure, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information, and consequently bypass an unspecified protection mechanism, by triggering a QUEUE_BUFFER action, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bug 26338109.
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 confidenceInformation disclosure vulnerability in Android's mediaserver where the BnGraphicBufferProducer::onTransact function in IGraphicBufferConsumer.cpp fails to initialize output data structures when handling QUEUE_BUFFER actions. This causes uninitialized kernel memory to be returned to callers with Signature or SignatureOrSystem permissions, potentially leaking sensitive information.
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= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.1= 4.1.2= 4.2= 4.2.1= 4.2.2= 4.3= 4.3.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) and look at the Android version field. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in a terminal or ADB shell.Affected if The version is 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4, 4.1, 4.1.2, 4.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.3, or 4.3.1.
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Check security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' in a terminal or ADB shell.Affected if The patch level is earlier than March 2016 or the field is empty or not visible (older Android versions may not display this).
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Verify mediaserver component (optional for developers)For ROM builders or security researchers: inspect the libs/gui/IGraphicBufferConsumer.cpp file in the system source and search for the onTransact function handling QUEUE_BUFFER. Verify that the output data structure is properly initialized before being returned.Affected if The code shows uninitialized output structures in the QUEUE_BUFFER case of onTransact, indicating the vulnerability is present in the built system.
A device is affected if it runs Android version 4.0 through 4.3.1 and lacks the March 2016 Android security update, as the flaw lies in uninitialized memory being returned by the mediaserver component during queue buffer operations.
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 March 2016 Android security update (or later) which contains the vendor patch initializing the output data structure in libs/gui/IGraphicBufferConsumer.cpp. This is an OS-level fix requiring a system update rather than application-level remediation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0829 — 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-2016-0829 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
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