CVE-2018-9487

Local VPN traffic disruption via UID 0 blocking

Published Nov 20, 2024 · Updated Nov 20, 2024

Denial of service in Android 8, 8.1, and 9 allows local users to block internet traffic through a VPN after user interaction. The setVpnForcedLocked method in Vpn.java includes UID 0 in the lockdown range, so kernel-originated IPsec traffic is prohibited instead of allowed through the always-on VPN. Exploitation requires local initiation and user interaction, and the bounded consequence is loss of internet connectivity through the affected VPN.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in Android 8, 8.1, and 9 allows local users to block internet traffic through a VPN after user interaction. The setVpnForcedLocked method in Vpn.java includes UID 0 in the lockdown range, so kernel-originated IPsec traffic is prohibited instead of allowed through the always-on VPN. Exploitation requires local initiation and user interaction, and the bounded consequence is loss of internet connectivity through the affected VPN.

The record

CVE
CVE-2018-9487
Published
Nov 20, 2024
Updated
Nov 20, 2024
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 20, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 20, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=8
  2. Affected versionversion=8.1
  3. Affected versionversion=9

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=8; version=8.1; version=9

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
6.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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