dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2016-2429

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
libFLAC/stream_decoder.c in mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-05-01 does not prevent free operations on uninitialized memory, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via a crafted media file, aka internal bug 27211885.

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 confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in libFLAC's stream_decoder.c within Android's mediaserver allows heap memory corruption when processing crafted media files. The vulnerability stems from the decoder attempting to free uninitialized memory pointers, leading to potential arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply vendor security patches by updating affected Android devices to version 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, or the May 2016 security update for Android 6.x. No configuration-based workarounds exist.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 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= 4.3.1

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell or check /system/build.prop.
    Affected if The Android 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
  2. Verify mediaserver is active
    Run 'ps -A | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell to check if the mediaserver process is running.
    Affected if mediaserver is running and processing media content on an affected Android version
  3. Identify libFLAC usage
    Check for libFLAC library presence in /system/lib/ or /vendor/lib/. Run 'ls -la /system/lib/libFLAC*' or check loaded libraries via 'cat /proc/<mediaserver_pid>/maps' while media is playing.
    Affected if libFLAC library is loaded by mediaserver on an affected Android version
  4. Detect FLAC media processing
    Monitor network or file access for FLAC file decoding. Use 'logcat' to search for FLAC-related tags: 'grep -i flac /system/logcat' or check mediaserver logs during media playback.
    Affected if A FLAC media file is being decoded by mediaserver on an affected version

If the device runs Android 4.0 through 4.3.1 and processes FLAC media files through mediaserver, the environment is affected by this use-after-free vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor security patches by updating affected Android devices to version 4.4.4, 5.0.2, 5.1.1, or the May 2016 security update for Android 6.x. No configuration-based workarounds exist.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) or later; preferably Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or newer for comprehensive security support

  1. 1. Back up all important data from the Android device to a secure location
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > About Phone on the Android device
  3. 3. Check the current Android version under 'Android version' or 'Build number'
  4. 4. If the device is running Android 4.0.x (4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, or 4.0.3), check for system updates via Settings > About Phone > System Updates or Settings > Software Update
  5. 5. If an over-the-air (OTA) update is available, download and install it to upgrade to Android 4.4.4 or later
  6. 6. If no OTA update is available from the device manufacturer, consider upgrading to a newer Android device that supports current security patches, as Android 4.0.x is no longer supported
Caveat Upgrading may reset some device settings; older apps may be incompatible with newer Android versions; some legacy hardware may not support newer Android releases

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-2429 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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