CVE-2016-11039
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with KK(4.4), L(5.0/5.1), and M(6.0) (AP + CP MDM9x35, or Qualcomm Onechip) software. There is a NULL pointer dereference issue in the IPC socket code. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-5980 (July 2016).
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 NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the IPC (Inter-Process Communication) socket code of Samsung mobile devices running Android KK (4.4), L (5.0/5.1), and M (6.0). The flaw is associated with specific modem firmware (AP + CP MDM9x35 or Qualcomm Onechip) and could potentially allow an attacker to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via the IPC interface.
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= 4.4= 5.0= 5.1= 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
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Identify device manufacturerCheck if the device is made by Samsung. On Android, go to Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or Brand, or run 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' or 'getprop ro.product.brand' via ADB.Affected if The device is not a Samsung product - this vulnerability specifically affects Samsung mobile devices.
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Check Android versionVerify the Android OS version. On the device, go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB.Affected if The Android version is 4.4, 5.0, 5.1, or 6.0 exactly - these are the affected versions per the CVE.
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Verify modem firmwareCheck the modem firmware version. Run 'getprop ro.baseband' or 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' via ADB to identify the baseband/modem version. Look for identifiers associated with MDM9x35 or Qualcomm Onechip hardware.Affected if The modem firmware uses the MDM9x35 or Qualcomm Onechip chipset - the vulnerability is tied to these specific modem hardware configurations.
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Confirm IPC interface presenceVerify the IPC socket interface is accessible. Check for IPC-related services or sockets in /dev/ or /system/ that handle inter-process communication. This may require root access to inspect.Affected if The IPC interface is present and active - the vulnerability exists in the IPC socket code, so the attack surface only exists if this component is enabled.
A device is affected if it is a Samsung mobile device running Android 4.4, 5.0, 5.1, or 6.0 with MDM9x35 or Qualcomm Onechip modem firmware and with the IPC interface present.
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 Samsung's monthly security updates, specifically the July 2016 patch bundle (SVE-2016-5980), to all affected devices. Inventory affected device models and prioritize patching for devices on vulnerable Android versions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-11039 — 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-2016-11039 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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