CVE-2016-6705
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 · uneditedAn elevation of privilege vulnerability in Mediaserver in Android 5.0.x before 5.0.2, 5.1.x before 5.1.1, 6.x before 2016-11-01, and 7.0 before 2016-11-01 could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process. This issue is rated as High because it could be used to gain local access to elevated capabilities, which are not normally accessible to a third-party application. Android ID: A-30907212.
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 use-after-free or memory corruption vulnerability in Android's Mediaserver component allows a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, bypassing normal application sandbox restrictions. The flaw exists in how Mediaserver handles specific media processing operations, potentially allowing code execution within the privileged Mediaserver process context.
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>= 5.0, < 5.0.2>= 5.1, < 5.1.1>= 6.0, <= 6.0.1= 7.0CVSS 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 OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run `getprop ro.build.version.release` via ADB shellAffected if The version is 5.0 to 5.0.1, 5.1 to 5.1.1, 6.0 to 6.0.1, or 7.0 exactly (these fall within the affected ranges)
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Check Android security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch` via ADB shellAffected if The patch level is earlier than November 2016 or the property returns empty/unavailable
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Verify Mediaserver process is runningRun `ps | grep mediaserver` via ADB shell or check in Settings > Apps > Running servicesAffected if Mediaserver is present and running (which is default on all affected Android versions - this confirms the vulnerable component is active)
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Check build fingerprint for patch verificationRun `getprop ro.build.fingerprint` via ADB shell to identify the exact build and cross-reference with OEM patch documentationAffected if The build predates the November 2016 security update and matches an affected version range
A device is affected if it runs Android 5.0-5.0.1, 5.1-5.1.1, 6.0-6.0.1, or 7.0 AND has a security patch level earlier than November 2016, since the fix was delivered in that month's security update.
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 data5.0.25.1.1
Apply the November 2016 Android security patch level or later to affected devices. Organizations should work with device OEMs or carriers to ensure timely deployment of the security update.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,704.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6705 — 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-2016-6705 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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