This information is intended for developers of apps that utilize any version of libpng library, that contains a security vulnerability disclosed in CVE-2015-8540. Apps with vulnerabilities like this can expose users to risk of compromise and may be considered in violation of our Malicious Behavior policy.Please migrate your app(s) to libpng v1.0.66, v.1.2.56, v.1.4.19, v1.5.26 or higher as soon as possible and increment the version number of the upgraded APK.
What’s happening
Beginning Sep 17, 2016, Google Play started to block the publishing of any new apps or updates that use vulnerable versions of libpng. Please refer to the notice on your Play Console. After the deadlines shown in your Play Console, any apps that contain unfixed security vulnerabilities may be removed from Google Play.
Action required
- Sign in to your Play Console, and navigate to the Alerts section to see which apps are affected and the deadlines to resolve these issues.
- Update your affected apps and fix the vulnerability.
- Submit the updated versions of your affected apps.
Upon resubmission, your app will be reviewed again. This process can take several hours. If the app passes review and is published successfully, then no further action is required. If the app fails review, then the new app version will not be published and you will receive an email notification.
Additional details
The vulnerability stems from an out of bounds memory access that could potentially lead to code execution. Versions 1.0.x before 1.0.66, 1.1.x and 1.2.x before 1.2.56, 1.3.x and 1.4.x before 1.4.19, and 1.5.x before 1.5.26 are affected.
You can read more about the vulnerability in CVE-2015-8540.
While these specific issues may not affect every app that uses libpng, it’s best to stay up to date on all security patches. Apps must also comply with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy.
We’re here to help
If you have technical questions about the vulnerability, you can post to Stack Overflow and use the tag “android-security.” For clarification on steps you need to take to resolve this issue, you can contact our developer support team.