dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-13187

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-01-12
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
An information disclosure vulnerability in the Android media framework (libhevc). Product: Android. Versions: 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1. Android ID: A-65034175.

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

An information disclosure vulnerability in Android's libhevc (HEVC/H.265 video codec) media framework component. The vulnerability allows unauthorized reading of sensitive information from memory due to improper bounds checking or memory handling in the media decoding process. CVSS 9.1 indicates critical severity with high confidentiality impact.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for CVE-2017-13187 (December 2017 security patch level or later) to affected devices running Android 7.0-8.1. No further custom implementation is possible as this is a vendor framework vulnerability requiring the official Google/OEM patch.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 5.1.1= 6.0= 6.0.1= 7.0= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 8.0= 8.1

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Version is 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, or 8.1
  2. Verify security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if Patch level is earlier than December 2017 or not displayed (indicating unpatched device)
  3. Confirm libhevc library presence
    Check for the library file at /system/lib/libhevc.so or /vendor/lib/libhevc.so using 'ls -la' via ADB or a file explorer
    Affected if The libhevc library file exists on the device, indicating the HEVC/H.265 codec component is present
  4. Assess HEVC/H.265 usage exposure
    Review if the device uses HEVC/H.265 video decoding through apps, camera recording, or video playback by checking installed media apps and their codec support
    Affected if HEVC/H.265 video content is played, recorded, or processed on the device, creating an attack surface for the vulnerable libhevc component

Device is affected if running Android 5.1.1 through 8.1 with a security patch level before December 2017 and the libhevc library is present on the system.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Android security patch for CVE-2017-13187 (December 2017 security patch level or later) to affected devices running Android 7.0-8.1. No further custom implementation is possible as this is a vendor framework vulnerability requiring the official Google/OEM patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Latest available Android security patch level (January 2018 or later) or upgrade to a currently-supported Android version (Android 10, 11, 12, 13 depending on device support)

  1. 1. Check your device's current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  2. 2. If your device is on Android 7.0 or earlier and no longer receives security updates from the manufacturer, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular security updates
  3. 3. For devices still receiving updates, apply the latest available security patch update from your device manufacturer
  4. 4. The January 2018 Android Security Update (or later) contains the fix for CVE-2017-13187 in libhevc
Caveat Older devices running Android 5.1.1, 6.0, or 6.0.1 may no longer receive security updates and may need hardware replacement rather than software patching

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2017-13187 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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