CVE-2018-9535
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_reset_acelp_data_fix of ixheaacd_lpc.c there is a possible out of bounds write 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-112858010
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the ixheaacd AAC audio decoder library (ixheaacd_lpc.c) within the ixheaacd_reset_acelp_data_fix function due to a missing bounds check. This memory corruption flaw can be triggered by processing a specially crafted audio file, potentially allowing remote code execution without requiring additional privileges.
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 versionCheck the device Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell.Affected if Version is exactly 9.0 (Pie)
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Identify ixheaacd library presenceSearch for the ixheaacd library file on the system. On rooted devices, run 'find / -name "libixheaacd*" 2>/dev/null' or check /system/lib/ and /vendor/lib/ directories.Affected if The library file libixheaacd.so exists on the device
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Check media processing usageReview which applications or system services process AAC audio files. Monitor or audit media server processes (mediaserver) that handle audio decoding.Affected if Applications can process untrusted AAC audio files through the ixheaacd decoder
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Confirm decoder is reachableTest AAC audio playback capability on the device using a sample AAC file. Verify the ixheaacd decoder is being invoked by the media framework.Affected if AAC audio decoding works and uses the ixheaacd library
The environment is affected if running Android 9.0 with the ixheaacd library present and capable of processing AAC audio files.
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 vendor patch for Android-9 (Android ID A-112858010) to update the ixheaacd library with proper bounds validation. As user interaction is required (opening a malicious media file), exercise caution when processing untrusted audio content until the patch is applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9535 — 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-2018-9535 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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