CVE-2016-8420 Privilege escalation in Android

What is CVE-2016-8420?

CVE-2016-8420 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 8 Feb 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.10, Kernel-3.18. Android ID: A-32451171. References: QC-CR#1087807.

Weakness: CWE-264

Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-8420?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Google Android, Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2016-8420?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-8420 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2016-8420 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8420 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Google Android

• CVE-2026-58704 Google Pixel Improper Authorization Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2025-48543 Android Runtime Use-After-Free Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2023-35674 Android Framework Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2025-48595 Android Framework Integer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2024-32896 Android Pixel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.1

All Google Android vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-h5f5-3v68-7xc5.