AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-1986

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-02-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
In SkSwizzler::onSetSampleX of SkSwizzler.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote escalation of privilege in system_server with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: Android-9. Android ID: A-117838472.

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 confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in SkSwizzler::onSetSampleX in the Skia graphics library used by Android. The function lacks proper bounds checking when handling sample parameters, allowing an out-of-bounds write that can be exploited to escalate privileges to the system_server process. User interaction is required for exploitation.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for Android-9 that addresses the missing bounds check in SkSwizzler::onSetSampleX. Since this is a system-level graphics library vulnerability, ensure the patch is integrated into the system partition and deployed via the standard Android update mechanism.

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:= 9.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Android version is 9.0
    Check the Android version on the device: Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or use adb command 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if The version shows exactly 9.0 (the affected version)
  2. Confirm Skia library is present
    Check for the Skia graphics library on the device using adb: 'adb shell ls -la /system/lib/libskia.so' or check in /vendor/lib/
    Affected if The Skia library file exists on the device (required for the vulnerability to apply)
  3. Check if graphics processing features are in use
    Review if apps using Skia-based graphics rendering (such as Chrome, canvas-based apps, or media processing) are active on the device
    Affected if Applications that leverage Skia's sample handling functions are being used (user interaction required for exploitation)

A device is affected if it runs Android version 9.0 and contains the Skia library with the vulnerable SkSwizzler::onSetSampleX function accessible to applications that trigger the sample parameter handling code path.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch for Android-9 that addresses the missing bounds check in SkSwizzler::onSetSampleX. Since this is a system-level graphics library vulnerability, ensure the patch is integrated into the system partition and deployed via the standard Android update mechanism.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,240
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,184.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-1986 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-1986 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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