CVE-2021-0398

Local privilege escalation via cleared caller identity

Published Mar 10, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Privilege escalation in the Android 11 Framework allows local users to launch a foreground service with elevated privileges through bindService. ActiveServices.bindServiceLocked clears the Binder calling identity before checking foreground-service permission, causing the check to use the deputy process unless the original caller PID and UID are preserved. A user-level app can reach the path without user interaction; the consequence is limited to local elevation on an affected device.

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

Privilege escalation in the Android 11 Framework allows local users to launch a foreground service with elevated privileges through bindService. ActiveServices.bindServiceLocked clears the Binder calling identity before checking foreground-service permission, causing the check to use the deputy process unless the original caller PID and UID are preserved. A user-level app can reach the path without user interaction; the consequence is limited to local elevation on an affected device.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-0398
Published
Mar 10, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
T1404
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

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.6NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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

T1404Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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