CVE-2016-3818
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 · uneditedlibc in Android 4.x before 4.4.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device hang or reboot) via a crafted file, aka internal bug 28740702.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability exists in the libc library in Android 4.x versions prior to 4.4.4. A remote attacker can exploit this by providing a specially crafted file that triggers a flaw in libc, causing the affected device to hang or reboot, resulting in denial of service.
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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
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Check Android versionOn the device, go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB or terminal.Affected if The version listed 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 (or any 4.x version prior to 4.4.4)
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Verify libc library versionCheck the libc.so file version on the device. Run 'ls -la /system/lib/libc.so' via ADB shell, or use a file explorer with root access to inspect the libc library file properties.Affected if The libc.so file date or version corresponds to Android 4.0 through 4.3.1 releases (prior to the 4.4.4 update)
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Confirm attack surface exposureDetermine if the device processes files from untrusted sources, such as opening attachments, downloading files from the internet, or receiving files via Bluetooth or NFC. Check app permissions and file handling behaviors.Affected if The device routinely opens or processes files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification
If the device runs Android 4.0 through 4.3.1 and processes files from untrusted sources, it is likely vulnerable to denial of service via specially crafted files exploiting the libc flaw.
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 dataThe primary remediation is to update affected Android devices to version 4.4.4 or later. For devices that cannot be updated, consider decommissioning or replacing them as they may be end-of-life and no longer receive security patches.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation20.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3818 — 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-2016-3818 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