TizenOperating system · Linux
CVE-2018-16263
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 · uneditedThe PulseAudio system service in Tizen allows an unprivileged process to control its A2DP MediaEndpoint, due to improper D-Bus security policy configurations. This affects Tizen before 5.0 M1, and Tizen-based firmwares including Samsung Galaxy Gear series before build RE2.
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 · high confidenceImproper D-Bus security policy configurations in the PulseAudio system service on Tizen allow an unprivileged process to control the A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) MediaEndpoint. This stems from the PulseAudio running as a system-wide service with overly permissive D-Bus access controls, enabling unauthorized Bluetooth audio device control.
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
TizenOperating system
= 1.0= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 2.2.1= 2.3= 2.3.1= 2.4= 3.0= 4.0= 5.0CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Tizen versionCheck the installed Tizen version by examining /etc/os-release or running 'cat /etc/tizen-release' if presentAffected if The system is running Tizen version 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.3, 2.3.1, 2.4, 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0
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Determine if PulseAudio runs as a system serviceCheck if PulseAudio is running in system-wide mode. Examine running processes for 'pulseaudio --system' or look for the system daemon configuration in /etc/pulse/server.conf or /etc/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio.confAffected if PulseAudio is running as a system-wide daemon (--system mode) instead of per-user session mode
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Review PulseAudio D-Bus security policyExamine the D-Bus system policy configuration file for PulseAudio, typically located at /etc/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio.conf. Look for <policy> sections that control access to Bluetooth A2DP MediaEndpoint interfacesAffected if The D-Bus policy contains overly permissive rules that allow any unprivileged user or process to access the A2DP MediaEndpoint (e.g., missing user restrictions, overly broad send_destination rules, or no require_permissions validation)
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Tizen version with PulseAudio running as a system-wide service that has permissive D-Bus access controls allowing unprivileged A2DP MediaEndpoint manipulation.
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 dataConfigure D-Bus security policies to restrict A2DP MediaEndpoint access to only privileged/system components, typically by adding proper <policy> rules with 'send_destination' and 'require_permissions' attributes in the PulseAudio D-Bus service configuration file.
Fix this in Tizen
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-16263 — 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-2018-16263 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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