Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2016-8400
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 information disclosure vulnerability in the NVIDIA librm library (libnvrm) could enable a local malicious application to access data outside of its permission levels. This issue is rated as Moderate because it could be used to access sensitive data without permission. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-31251599. References: N-CVE-2016-8400.
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 confidenceInformation disclosure vulnerability in NVIDIA's librm library (libnvrm) on Android Kernel-3.18 allows a local malicious application to bypass permission boundaries and access sensitive data it is not authorized to view. The flaw enables a local attacker to read data outside their granted permission levels.
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
= 3.18CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Confirm kernel version is 3.18Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to identify the installed kernel versionAffected if The kernel version is exactly 3.18 (or contains 3.18 in the version string)
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Identify NVIDIA hardware and driversCheck if the device uses NVIDIA graphics/compute hardware by reviewing /dev/nv* entries, or check /system/lib/modules for NVIDIA kernel modules (nv-*.ko)Affected if The device runs NVIDIA GPU/drivers and uses the affected libnvrm library
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Locate the libnvrm librarySearch for libnvrm.so or librm library files on the system: 'find /system/lib -name "*nvrm*" -o -name "*rm*"' or check /vendor/lib64/Affected if The libnvrm library exists on the device without the security patch applied
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Verify patch application statusCheck the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Build Number, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to see if the fix (A-31251599) is includedAffected if The security patch level is earlier than the month containing the A-31251599 fix
A user is affected if their Android device runs kernel 3.18 with an unpatched NVIDIA libnvrm library and has a security patch level predating the CVE-2016-8400 fix.
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 NVIDIA security patch (A-31251599) via Android system updates. Ensure affected devices receive the monthly security patch level that includes this fix.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8400 — 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-2016-8400 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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