Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2016-6781
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 the MediaTek driver could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10. Android ID: A-31095175. References: MT-ALPS02943455.
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 · moderate confidenceAn elevation of privilege vulnerability in the MediaTek kernel driver allows a local malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process to execute arbitrary code within kernel context. The flaw exists in the MediaTek driver code within Android kernel-3.10, enabling a privileged escalation from user-space to ring-0.
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
Linux KernelOperating system
= 3.10CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/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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Identify if the device uses a MediaTek chipsetCheck the processor/system-on-chip information via /proc/cpuinfo or by running 'cat /sys/devices/soc0/soc_id' or checking 'getprop ro.hardware' on AndroidAffected if The system does not have a MediaTek chipset, then this specific vulnerability does not apply to your environment
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Verify the kernel version is 3.10Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to confirm the running kernel versionAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.10; if it is a different version, this specific CVE does not apply
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Check for the presence of MediaTek kernel driver modulesList loaded kernel modules with 'lsmod' or check /proc/modules for MediaTek-related driver modules such as those with 'mtk', 'medialink', or similar naming patternsAffected if MediaTek driver modules are loaded and the kernel version is 3.10, indicating the vulnerable driver code may be present
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Verify the vulnerable driver file exists in the kernelCheck for the existence of MediaTek driver source files in /sys/module/ or look for MediaTek driver directories under /drivers/ related to the Android kernel-3.10 treeAffected if MediaTek driver code exists in the kernel and the kernel version is 3.10, meaning the vulnerability is present in your environment
You are affected if your device runs Linux kernel version 3.10, uses a MediaTek chipset, and has the corresponding MediaTek kernel driver loaded or present in the system.
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 vendor security patch for Android ID A-31095175, which contains the MediaTek driver fix. Device manufacturers using MediaTek chipsets should distribute kernel updates addressing this vulnerability through their regular security patch cycles.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6781 — 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-2016-6781 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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