CVE-2018-9533
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 · uneditedIn ixheaacd_dec_data_init of ixheaacd_create.c there is a possible out of write read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: Android-9. Android ID: A-112766520
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 confidenceA missing bounds check in the ixheaacd_dec_data_init function of the ixheaacd AAC audio decoder in Android-9 allows an out-of-bounds write/read condition. This could enable remote code execution via a specially crafted AAC audio stream, requiring user interaction to trigger the vulnerability.
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= 9.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Verify Android version is 9.0Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if The Android version displayed is exactly 9.0 (not 9.0.1, 9.0.2, etc., and not a higher version)
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Confirm ixheaacd decoder component is presentCheck for the presence of libixheaacd.so library. Run 'find /system/lib -name libixheaacd.so' or 'find /vendor/lib -name libixheaacd.so' via ADB shellAffected if The libixheaacd.so library file exists in the system or vendor lib directories
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell or check Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if The security patch level is earlier than the patch that addresses CVE-2018-9533, or the field is empty/unavailable
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Identify applications using AAC audio decodingReview installed media players, streaming apps, or applications that handle AAC audio files. Check app permissions for audio/media accessAffected if Applications that process untrusted AAC audio streams are installed and could be used as an attack vector
The device is affected if running Android 9.0 with the ixheaacd decoder component present and a security patch level predating the CVE-2018-9533 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 Android security patch for Android-9 that addresses the bounds check vulnerability in the ixheaacd decoder component. Users should ensure their devices receive available Android security updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9533 — 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-2018-9533 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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