CVE-2016-0803 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
libstagefright in mediaserver in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY49G, and 6.x before 2016-02-01 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted media file that triggers a large memory allocation in the (1) SoftMPEG4Encoder or (2) SoftVPXEncoder component, aka internal bug 25812794.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2016-0803 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the Android media processing framework that affects multiple versions of the operating system. This vulnerability resides in the libstagefright library component of the mediaserver process, which serves as the core multimedia processing engine responsible for handling various media file formats including video and audio content. The flaw specifically impacts the SoftMPEG4Encoder and SoftVPXEncoder components that are responsible for encoding video content using MPEG-4 and VPX codecs respectively, making it particularly dangerous as these are commonly used media processing functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the media processing pipeline. When a maliciously crafted media file is processed by the affected components, the system allocates an excessive amount of memory that exceeds normal processing requirements, leading to memory corruption conditions that can be exploited by remote attackers. This memory allocation flaw occurs during the encoding process when the system fails to properly validate the size parameters of the media file, allowing attackers to manipulate the memory allocation requests to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption scenarios. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-122 as insufficient memory allocation validation and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for application execution through media processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to include full remote code execution capabilities, making it a severe threat to Android devices. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on affected devices without requiring local access or user interaction, as the malicious media file can be delivered through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or multimedia content shared through social platforms. The vulnerability affects devices running Android versions 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.x before 5.1.1, and 6.x before 2016-02-01, representing a significant portion of the Android user base at the time of disclosure. The memory corruption can result in system crashes, application instability, or complete device compromise, depending on how the attacker exploits the memory corruption conditions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0803 focus on both immediate patching and operational security measures to reduce the attack surface. The primary remediation involves applying the security patches released by Google for the affected Android versions, which include enhanced input validation and memory allocation controls within the libstagefright library. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these patches across all affected devices, particularly those handling untrusted media content. Additionally, network-level controls such as media file filtering and sandboxing of media processing components can provide additional protection layers. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in multimedia frameworks and highlights the need for comprehensive memory safety testing, particularly for components that handle untrusted input data. Security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious media file processing activities and maintain updated threat intelligence regarding similar vulnerabilities in multimedia processing libraries that could indicate related attack patterns or exploitation techniques.