Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2016-8398

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-01-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Unauthenticated messages processed by the UE. Certain NAS messages are processed when no EPS security context exists in the UE. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel 3.18. Android ID: A-31548486. References: QC-CR#877705.

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

Vulnerability in Android kernel 3.18 allows unauthenticated NAS (Non-Access Stratum) messages to be processed by the User Equipment when no EPS (Evolved Packet System) security context exists. This protocol-level flaw in LTE/4G stack processing could allow a malicious network entity to inject or manipulate traffic without proper authentication.

MitigationApply Android security patches that address kernel 3.18 vulnerabilities; users should ensure their devices receive运营商 (carrier) and OEM updates that include the fix for Android ID A-31548486.

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
Affected:= 3.18

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. Identify the kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to determine the exact kernel version running on the device
    Affected if The kernel version is exactly 3.18
  2. Confirm Android environment
    Verify the device is running Android (check system properties with 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or similar)
    Affected if The device runs Android with kernel 3.18
  3. Check LTE/4G capability
    Determine if the device has LTE/4G modem capability (check hardware specs, modem status via 'getprop' or 'settings' menus)
    Affected if Device has LTE/4G capability and runs kernel 3.18
  4. Assess security context state
    This is a protocol-level check; there is no straightforward user-accessible command to verify EPS security context state. The condition is theoretical at detection time: vulnerability applies if device connects to a network without established EPS security context
    Affected if Device with kernel 3.18 connects to LTE networks (the flaw is inherent to the kernel version regardless of current network state)

A device is affected if it runs Android with Linux kernel version 3.18 and has LTE/4G capability, as the vulnerable NAS message processing code is present in that specific kernel version.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Android security patches that address kernel 3.18 vulnerabilities; users should ensure their devices receive运营商 (carrier) and OEM updates that include the fix for Android ID A-31548486.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,920
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-8398 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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