# CVE-2016-6769: Auth bypass in Android

> A local attacker with physical access to an unlocked Android device can bypass PIN requirements to access Smart Lock settings.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 Jan 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-659x-8694-84c2

## What is CVE-2016-6769?

CVE-2016-6769 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Google Android, published on 12 Jan 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability in Smart Lock could enable a local malicious user to access Smart Lock settings without a PIN. This issue is rated as Moderate because it first requires physical access to an unlocked device where Smart Lock was the last settings pane accessed by the user. Product: Android. Versions: 5.0.2, 5.1.1, 6.0, 6.0.1. Android ID: A-29055171.

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-6769?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Android.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-6769?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-6769 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-6769 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-6769 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Android

- [CVE-2026-58704](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-58704/): Google Pixel Improper Authorization (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48543](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48543/): Android Runtime Use-After-Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-35674](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35674/): Android Framework Privilege Escalation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48595](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48595/): Android Framework Integer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-32896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32896/): Android Pixel Privilege Escalation (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-6769 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-6769 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Google Android, published on 12 Jan 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-6769 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google Android. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6769/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6769/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6769
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6769
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-6769

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6769/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.