dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-13229

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-12
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
A remote code execution vulnerability in the Android media framework (n/a). Product: Android. Versions: 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1. ID: A-68160703.

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 remote code execution vulnerability in the Android media framework affecting Android versions 7.0 through 8.1. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted media files processed by the media framework components.

MitigationApply the available Android security patch (2017-12-01 or later) to affected devices. Prioritize patching given the critical (9.8) severity and remote attack vector.

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
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 Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or Settings > System > About Phone > Android version on newer devices). Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell.
    Affected if The version listed 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 Settings > System > Security > Security patch level). Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell.
    Affected if The patch level is earlier than December 2017 (2017-12-01) or is not displayed.
  3. Confirm media framework is active
    Check that the device can process media files (videos, audio, images). This is enabled by default on standard Android installations. No manual configuration needed.
    Affected if The device can process media files, which is the default state on all affected Android versions.

The device is affected if it runs Android 5.1.1 through 8.1 and has not received the December 2017 security patch or later, as the vulnerability lies in the media framework processing crafted media files.

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 available Android security patch (2017-12-01 or later) to affected devices. Prioritize patching given the critical (9.8) severity and remote attack vector.

Recommended fix High confidence

December 2017 Android Security Patch Level (2017-12-01 or later) or latest available Android version with current security patches

  1. 1. Verify the current Android version by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Version Number
  2. 2. Check for system updates by going to Settings > System > System Update > Check for Update
  3. 3. If an update is available, download and install the latest Android security patch level
  4. 4. For Android 7.0/7.1.x devices, ensure the device receives the December 2017 security patch (2017-12-01 or later)
  5. 5. For Android 8.0/8.1.x devices, ensure the device receives the December 2017 security patch (2017-12-01 or later)
  6. 6. After update, verify the patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level shows December 2017 or later
Caveat Upgrading to newer Android major versions (e.g., from 7.0 to 8.0) may introduce compatibility issues with legacy apps or change user interface conventions

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2017-13229 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