CVE-2016-2433
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 Broadcom Wi-Fi driver for Android, as used by BlackBerry smartphones before Build AAE570, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the kernel.
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 is a kernel-level remote code execution vulnerability in the Broadcom Wi-Fi driver for Android, affecting BlackBerry smartphones prior to Build AAE570. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, potentially giving them full control over the affected device.
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<= 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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 the device manufacturer and modelCheck the device settings to confirm it is a BlackBerry smartphone running Android. Go to Settings > About Phone > Model name and Manufacturer.Affected if The device is not a BlackBerry Android smartphone (the vulnerability only affects BlackBerry devices running Android)
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Check the Android OS versionNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Verify if the installed Android version is 6.0.1 or earlier.Affected if The Android version is 6.0.1 or lower (versions <= 6.0.1 are affected)
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Check the Build numberNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Build number. Identify the full build identifier (for example, ABE567 or AAE569).Affected if The build number is earlier than AAE570 (Build AAE570 and later contain the fix)
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Confirm Broadcom Wi-Fi driver presenceCheck the kernel configuration or Wi-Fi driver modules. On Android, you can inspect /proc/config.gz (if available) or use a terminal app to run 'ls /system/lib/modules/' and look for Broadcom Wi-Fi related kernel modules (often named with 'bcmdhd', 'wl', or 'broadcom' in the filename).Affected if A Broadcom Wi-Fi driver module is present and loaded on the device
The device is affected if it is a BlackBerry smartphone running Android 6.0.1 or earlier with a build number prior to AAE570 and containing the vulnerable Broadcom Wi-Fi driver.
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 vendor-supplied patch by updating BlackBerry devices to Build AAE570 or later, which contains the corrected Broadcom Wi-Fi driver.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-2433 — 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-2016-2433 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