CVE-2021-0395

Local privilege escalation via stale service pointers

Published Mar 10, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Use-after-free in Android 11 init reboot handling allows local users to execute code in a privileged process during service shutdown. StopServicesAndLogViolations retains raw Service pointers while StopServices terminates services, then dereferences pointers whose objects can already have been deleted. A local low-privileged user needs no additional execution privileges or user interaction; successful exploitation elevates code into a privileged process.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Android 11 init reboot handling allows local users to execute code in a privileged process during service shutdown. StopServicesAndLogViolations retains raw Service pointers while StopServices terminates services, then dereferences pointers whose objects can already have been deleted. A local low-privileged user needs no additional execution privileges or user interaction; successful exploitation elevates code into a privileged process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-0395
Published
Mar 10, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-416, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 10, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 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?

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  1. Affected versionversion=Android-11

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=Android-11

Published CVSS scores

4.6NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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