CVE-2016-2452
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 · uneditedcodecs/amrnb/dec/SoftAMR.cpp in libstagefright 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 validate buffer sizes, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bugs 27662364 and 27843673.
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 confidenceBuffer size validation is missing in the AMR-NB decoder (SoftAMR.cpp) within libstagefright's mediaserver component. When processing crafted AMR-NB audio files, the decoder does not verify buffer sizes before reading or writing data, allowing a malicious application to corrupt memory and escalate privileges to Signature or SignatureOrSystem level access.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected 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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Identify mediaserver componentCheck running processes via 'ps -A | grep mediaserver' or examine /system/lib/libstagefright.so for the SoftAMR componentAffected if Mediaserver process exists and the libstagefright library contains the SoftAMR decoder (SoftAMR.cpp) without the May 2016 security patch
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Verify AMR-NB audio support is presentCheck for AMR-NB codec availability in /system/etc/media_codecs.xml or by examining /system/lib/softamr* librariesAffected if AMR-NB decoder libraries (libsoftamrnb.so or similar) are present on the device, indicating the vulnerable code path exists
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Review mediaserver crash or exploit logsCheck logcat output: 'adb logcat -d | grep -i amr' or review /data/log/dmesg for mediaserver restartsAffected if Any logs indicate mediaserver crashes related to AMR-NB processing or unexpected memory access patterns
If the Android version falls within 4.0 through 4.3.1 and the mediaserver with AMR-NB decoding capability is present, the device is likely affected and requires the May 2016 security patch.
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 Android security patch released May 2016 or later, which includes proper buffer size validation in the mediaserver AMR-NB decoder. Organizations should ensure mobile devices receive monthly security updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-2452 — 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-2016-2452 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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