CVE-2016-2414
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 Minikin library in Android 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-04-01 does not properly consider negative size values in font data, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and reboot loop) via a crafted font, aka internal bug 26413177.
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 confidenceThe Minikin library (Android's text rendering engine) fails to validate size values in font data, allowing negative size values to be processed. This causes memory corruption when parsing a crafted font file, leading to a denial of service via reboot loop.
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= 5.0= 5.0.1= 5.1= 5.1.0= 6.0= 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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.
-
Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run `getprop ro.build.version.release` in ADB shell or terminal.Affected if The installed Android version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.1, 5.1.0, 6.0, or 6.0.1 exactly (not a patched subversion like 5.0.2, 5.1.1, or 6.0.2)
-
Check security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Alternatively, run `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch` in ADB shell.Affected if The security patch level is earlier than April 2016 for 6.x versions, or earlier than the respective dates for 5.x fixed versions (5.0.2+, 5.1.1+ require patches)
-
Identify Minikin library presenceThe Minikin library (libminikin.so) is present in /system/lib/ on Android 5.x and 6.x devices. Check using a file manager with root access or via ADB: `ls -la /system/lib/libminikin.so`Affected if The library exists on the device (which is true for all affected versions by default - this confirms the vulnerable component is present)
The device is affected if it runs Android 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.1, 5.1.0, 6.0, or 6.0.1 AND has not received the respective security patches that include the Minikin fix.
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 Google security patches for the affected Android versions (5.0.2+, 5.1.1+, or April 2016 security update for 6.x) to receive the Minikin library fix. For custom Android builds, backport the Minikin patch from the AOSP security bulletin.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-2414 — 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-2016-2414 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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