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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2016-8443

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Possible unauthorized memory access in the hypervisor. Incorrect configuration provides access to subsystem page tables. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel 3.18. Android ID: A-32576499. References: QC-CR#964185.

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 confidence

A hypervisor vulnerability in Android kernel 3.18 allows unauthorized memory access due to incorrect configuration that provides access to subsystem page tables. This incorrect configuration in the hypervisor could permit a local attacker to access sensitive memory regions.

MitigationApply the vendor security patch for Android (A-32576499) which addresses the hypervisor configuration issue in kernel 3.18. This typically involves updating to the latest Android 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
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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 running kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to determine the exact kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version is exactly 3.18 (no other versions are affected)
  2. Verify hypervisor is in use
    Check for hypervisor presence by running 'dmesg | grep -i hypervisor' or checking /sys/hypervisor/ if present
    Affected if A hypervisor (such as KVM or ARM hypervisor) is active on the system
  3. Check hypervisor memory configuration
    Examine hypervisor configuration files in /sys/module/kvm*/parameters/ or via 'ls -la /sys/kernel/debug/kvm/' if debugfs is mounted
    Affected if Hypervisor configuration exposes subsystem page table access or allows unauthorized memory region mapping
  4. Inspect subsystem page table permissions
    Check hypervisor page table configuration via 'cat /proc/bootconfig' or review hypervisor startup parameters in /boot/config-$(uname -r)
    Affected if The hypervisor provides incorrect or overly permissive access to subsystem page tables
  5. Verify Android security patch level
    On Android devices, check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'
    Affected if The device is on kernel 3.18 and has not received the A-32576499 security patch (security patch level before the fix date)

The environment is affected if running Linux kernel exactly version 3.18 with a hypervisor that exposes subsystem page table access and lacks the Android security patch A-32576499.

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 the vendor security patch for Android (A-32576499) which addresses the hypervisor configuration issue in kernel 3.18. This typically involves updating to the latest Android security patch level.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2016-8443 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