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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2016-6725

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
A remote code execution vulnerability in the Qualcomm crypto driver in Android before 2016-11-05 could enable a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Critical due to the possibility of remote code execution in the context of the kernel. Android ID: A-30515053. References: Qualcomm QC-CR#1050970.

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 confidence

This is a remote code execution vulnerability in the Qualcomm cryptographic driver within the Android kernel. The flaw allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, granting complete control over the affected device. The vulnerability exists in the crypto subsystem's driver code and is rated critical due to the potential for complete system compromise.

MitigationApply the Android security patch released on or after 2016-11-05, which contains the fix for Qualcomm QC-CR#1050970. Organizations should prioritize updating affected Android devices to the latest available security patch level.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:<= 7.0

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Android OS version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version, or run `getprop ro.build.version.release` via ADB shell
    Affected if Version is 7.0 or lower (Android 7.0 and below are within the affected range)
  2. Verify Qualcomm hardware presence
    Check device specifications for Qualcomm chipset, or run `getprop ro.hardware` via ADB shell to identify the hardware platform
    Affected if Device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (the vulnerability is in the Qualcomm cryptographic driver)
  3. Confirm crypto driver module
    Check for the presence of the Qualcomm crypto driver module in the kernel. On affected devices, this may appear as a crypto-related kernel module or be compiled into the kernel image. Run `ls -la /system/lib/modules/` or check `/proc/crypto` via ADB shell
    Affected if The device has a Qualcomm crypto driver module loaded or built into the kernel (this is the vulnerable component)
  4. Check kernel version and build date
    Run `uname -a` via ADB shell to view kernel version, or check `/proc/version`. Also check `getprop ro.build.date` for the system build date
    Affected if Kernel build date is before November 5, 2016 and the device meets the above criteria (unpatched kernel)

The device is affected if it runs Android 7.0 or lower, uses a Qualcomm chipset with the vulnerable crypto driver, and lacks the 2016-11-05 or later Android security patch.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the Android security patch released on or after 2016-11-05, which contains the fix for Qualcomm QC-CR#1050970. Organizations should prioritize updating affected Android devices to the latest available security patch level.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later, or ensure November 2016 security patch level is installed

  1. Verify the current Android version by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Check if your device manufacturer has released a November 2016 or later security update for your specific device model
  3. If available, install the latest security patch update through Settings > System > Security update > Check for updates
  4. If the manufacturer has not released a security update for your device, upgrade to a device running Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later, which includes the fix for this vulnerability
  5. After upgrading, verify the Android version is 8.0 or higher and confirm security patches are up to date in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Upgrading Android versions may cause compatibility issues with older applications; some device models may not receive security updates due to end-of-life status

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing20.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
48.0 hours of engineering $8,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-6725 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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