CVE-2016-2479
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 mm-video-v4l2 vdec component 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 2016-06-01 mishandles a buffer count, which allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, as demonstrated by obtaining Signature or SignatureOrSystem access, aka internal bug 27532282.
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 confidenceA buffer count mishandling vulnerability in the mm-video-v4l2 vdec video decoder component of Android's mediaserver allows a malicious application to escalate privileges to Signature or SignatureOrSystem level, enabling arbitrary code execution with elevated system privileges.
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= 4.1.1= 4.1.2= 4.2= 4.2.1= 4.2.2= 4.3CVSS 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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Verify Android version is affectedCheck the device Android version in Settings > About Phone (or About Tablet). Look for version numbers 4.0.x, 4.1.x, 4.2.x, or 4.3.x (any subversion such as 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.2.1, etc.). On the device, run: getprop ro.build.version.releaseAffected if The version displays 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4, 4.1, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, or 4.3.
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Confirm mediaserver process is runningCheck if the mediaserver daemon is active on the device. Run: ps | grep mediaserver oradb shell ps | grep mediaserverAffected if The mediaserver process (usually shown as /system/bin/mediaserver) appears in the process list.
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Check if video decoder (vdec) is in useVerify the video decoder component is present and accessible. The mm-video-v4l2 vdec module is part of the mediaserver subsystem. Check for its presence by examining: getprop | grep vdec or by reviewing /system/lib/modules/ for video4linux2 components if available.Affected if Video decoding functionality is available on the device (this is typically true for most Android devices with video playback capability).
A device is affected if it runs Android version 4.0 through 4.3 and has the mediaserver process running with video decoder capabilities enabled.
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 June 2016 Android Security Bulletin patch or later to all affected Android devices (4.x, 5.x, and 6.x versions). Users should ensure their devices receive monthly security updates from their device manufacturers.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-2479 — 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-2016-2479 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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