Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2016-8399
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 kernel networking subsystem could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Moderate because it first requires compromising a privileged process and current compiler optimizations restrict access to the vulnerable code. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-31349935.
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 confidenceA kernel networking subsystem vulnerability in Android allows a local malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process to execute arbitrary code in kernel context. The vulnerability affects Android devices running Linux kernel versions 3.10 and 3.18. Compiler optimizations partially mitigate exploitation but the issue is rated High due to the severity of kernel-level code execution.
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
>= 3.19, < 4.1.37>= 4.2, < 4.4.38>= 4.5, < 4.8.14CVSS 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:3.1/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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Determine the running Linux kernel versionExecute 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' in an ADB shell or terminal emulator on the Android deviceAffected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 3.19 to 4.1.36, 4.2 to 4.37, or 4.5 to 4.8.13
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Confirm the kernel version falls below the fixed releasesCompare your kernel version number against 4.1.37, 4.4.38, and 4.8.14 - any version below these thresholds (while also being >= 3.19 for the first range) indicates the device may be affectedAffected if The kernel version is less than 4.1.37, or is between 4.2 and 4.4.37, or is between 4.5 and 4.8.13
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Verify if security patches have been appliedCheck the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADBAffected if The security patch level is earlier than the month the CVE was patched (refer to the Android Security Bulletin for CVE-2016-8399)
The device is affected if it runs a kernel version within the vulnerable ranges AND has not received the corresponding security update that addresses this issue.
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 data4.1.374.4.384.8.14
Apply Android security patches released by device OEMs. This vulnerability is addressed through kernel-level patches that are delivered via monthly Android security updates. Organizations should ensure affected devices receive available system updates.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $6,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8399 — 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-2016-8399 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
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