Local privilege escalation via writable application packages
Published Oct 6, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024
Improper privilege management in Android 11 System allows local users with System privileges to execute code in other processes. The system_app SELinux policy grants adb data-loader code write access to apk_data_file objects and read access to incremental-control files, allowing an installed application's base.apk to be overwritten. Exploitation requires existing System execution privileges and no user interaction; the resulting code runs in another process's security context.
Summary
What happened
Improper privilege management in Android 11 System allows local users with System privileges to execute code in other processes. The system_app SELinux policy grants adb data-loader code write access to apk_data_file objects and read access to incremental-control files, allowing an installed application's base.apk to be overwritten. Exploitation requires existing System execution privileges and no user interaction; the resulting code runs in another process's security context.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-0691
- Published
- Oct 6, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 3, 2024
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=Android-11
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Android CTS CVE-2021-0691 regression testfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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