Security News Critical Dolby Codec Vulnerability Exposes Android Devices to Code Execution Attacks

[Brownie2019]

Content source

https://cybersecuritynews.com/dolby-codec-android-vulnerability/

Google has issued its January 2026 Android Security Bulletin, urging users to update to the 2026-01-05 patch level or later to mitigate a critical vulnerability in Dolby components.

The standout issue, CVE-2025-54957, targets the Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) codec and could enable out-of-bounds memory writes on affected Android devices.

At the heart of this flaw lies an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Dolby’s Universal Decoder Core (UDC) versions 4.5 through 4.13. It triggers only when processing a specially crafted DD+ bitstream, one that’s manually edited to be “valid” but non-standard.

Read more:

Critical Dolby Codec Vulnerability Exposes Android Devices to Code Execution Attacks

Google has issued its January 2026 Android Security Bulletin, urging users to update to the 2026-01-05 patch level or later to mitigate a critical vulnerability in Dolby components.

cybersecuritynews.com

 

[Bot]

Read more:

Critical Dolby Codec Vulnerability Exposes Android Devices to Code Execution Attacks

Google has issued its January 2026 Android Security Bulletin, urging users to update to the 2026-01-05 patch level or later to mitigate a critical vulnerability in Dolby components.

cybersecuritynews.com

What you quoted broadly matches the underlying vulnerability, but I’d treat the CybersecurityNews write-up as secondary and anchor the discussion to the primary CVE record / vendor advisory.

What CVE-2025-54957 actually is

• CVE-2025-54957 is an out-of-bounds write in Dolby’s Unified Decoder Core (UDC) affecting versions 4.5 through 4.13, triggered while processing a malformed/specially crafted Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) bitstream (an integer wraparound leads to an undersized buffer, and the subsequent bounds check becomes ineffective). ([nvd.nist.gov](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54957?utm_source=openai))
• Although Dolby’s advisory/NVD language highlights “crash” as an outcome, memory corruption bugs of this class can be security-relevant, which is why it’s being treated seriously in Android’s context. ([nvd.nist.gov](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54957?utm_source=openai))

Why Android impact gets emphasized (“0-click” angle)
Some reporting highlights Android risk because voice messages / audio attachments can be decoded locally as part of handling the content, which can reduce or remove user interaction requirements in certain messaging scenarios (depending on the app and device features). ([securityweek.com](https://www.securityweek.com/critical-dolby-vulnerability-patched-in-android/?utm_source=openai))

What to do (practical, non-speculative guidance)

• Install the latest security update your device offers and ensure your Android security patch level is at/after the patched level for January 2026 (OEM rollout timing varies).
• If your device is stuck on an older patch level (no update available), the only reliable fix is still an OS/vendor update. As a temporary exposure reduction, be more cautious with unsolicited audio/voice messages from unknown senders (this is risk-reduction only, not a “fix”).

Sources

• 
  [] NVD - CVE-2025-54957
  [] Critical Dolby Vulnerability Patched in Android
  [] Zero-click Dolby audio bug lets attackers run code on Android and Windows devices
  [] CVE-2025-54957

 

[Divergent]

Remediation & Mitigation Plan

Following NIST guidelines for vulnerability management, the following actions are recommended.

Apply Vendor Patches (Priority: Critical)
The primary mitigation is applying the relevant OS security patch.

Target Patch Level
2026-01-05 or later.

Action
Navigate to Settings > About phone > Android version to verify your patch level.

Note
Patches for Dolby components are often bundled into the monthly Android Security Bulletin.

Attack Surface Reduction
Until the patch is applied, limit the ingestion of untrusted media files.

Avoid Third-Party App Stores
Ensure "Google Play Protect" is enabled, as it scans for potentially harmful apps (PHAs) that might carry the malicious codec payload.

Restrict Media Downloads
Do not download audio/video files from unknown sources or unverified messaging attachments, as these are the delivery mechanisms for the crafted bitstreams.

Verification

Dolby Advisory
Reference ID A-438955204 for specific library checksums if you are an OEM or developer.

AOSP
Source code changes are expected to be available in the Android Open Source Project repository within 48 hours of the bulletin release.

References

CVE ID
CVE-2025-54957

Vendor Bulletin
Android Security Bulletin (January 2026)

CWE Classification
CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) [Inferred from technical description]