CVE-2016-11049
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 software through 2016-01-16 (Shannon333/308/310 chipsets). The IMEI may be retrieved and modified because of an error in managing key information. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-5435 (March 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 confidenceThis vulnerability allows unauthorized retrieval and modification of the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) on Samsung mobile devices with Shannon333/308/310 chipsets running software versions through January 2016. The root cause is an error in managing key information that protects the IMEI data, enabling attackers to access or alter this unique device identifier.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Identify device manufacturerCheck the device settings or system info to confirm the device is a Samsung mobile deviceAffected if Device is not a Samsung product (not affected)
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Identify chipset modelCheck device engineering mode or hardware info for chipset identification (Shannon333, Shannon308, or Shannon310)Affected if Chipset is not Shannon333, Shannon308, or Shannon310 (not affected)
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Check firmware version dateCheck the Android build version or firmware date in settings under About Phone > Software information, looking for build date or version date through January 2016Affected if Firmware version date is after January 2016 (not affected)
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Verify IMEI protection statusAccess the IMEI through engineering mode or dialer code *#06# and attempt to modify it through device settings or debugging tools if availableAffected if IMEI can be retrieved or modified without proper authentication or is unprotected (device is affected)
Device is affected if it is a Samsung mobile device with a Shannon333/308/310 chipset running software versions through January 2016 where IMEI data is accessible or modifiable without proper protection.
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 · scopedUpdate affected devices to Samsung security patches released after March 2016 (SVE-2016-5435). Devices that cannot receive updates should be replaced or retired from service.
Any Samsung security update released after March 2016 that includes the fix for SVE-2016-5435
- Identify the specific Samsung device model and current software version
- Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software Update on the device
- Check for and install any available Samsung security updates
- If no update is available, contact Samsung support for patch SVE-2016-5435
- Alternatively, visit security.samsungmobile.com and locate SVE-2016-5435 for patch availability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-11049 — 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-2016-11049 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