CVE-2016-1621
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 · uneditedlibvpx in mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY49H, and 6.0 before 2016-03-01 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted media file, related to libwebm/mkvparser.cpp and other files, aka internal bug 23452792.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in libvpx's libwebm/mkvparser.cpp component within Android's mediaserver allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service by processing a crafted media file (MKV/WebM).
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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell.Affected if 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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Confirm mediaserver is activeRun 'ps -A | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell to verify the mediaserver process is running on the device.Affected if The mediaserver process is present and running.
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Verify WebM/MKV handling capabilityCheck if any apps or system components can parse WebM or MKV containers. Look for files with .mkv or .webm extensions on the device, or check if a media player app supports these formats.Affected if The device can process or has processed MKV or WebM media files.
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Check libvpx library presenceRun 'ls -l /system/lib/libvpx*' or 'find /system -name "libvpx*"' via ADB shell to locate the libvpx library that contains the vulnerable mkvparser.cpp component.Affected if The libvpx library exists on the device.
If the Android version falls within 4.0 through 4.3.1 AND the mediaserver process is active AND the device can handle WebM/MKV files, the environment is likely affected by CVE-2016-1621.
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 · scopedApply Android security updates: upgrade to Android 4.4.4+, 5.1.1 LMY49H+, or 6.0 with March 2016 patch or later. Until patches are applied, disable automatic media playback and restrict media file handling from untrusted sources.
Android 4.4.4 or later (4.x), Android 5.1.1 LMY49H or later (5.x), or March 2016 security patch for 6.0
- Upgrade Android device to version 4.4.4 or later for Android 4.x devices
- For Android 5.x devices, upgrade to version 5.1.1 LMY49H or later
- For Android 6.0 devices, ensure the March 2016 security patch (2016-03-01) is applied
- Verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $11,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1621 — 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-2016-1621 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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