CVE-2021-39767

Local privilege escalation via insecure recovery properties

Published Mar 30, 2022 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Elevation of privilege in Android 12L miniadb allows local users to gain higher privileges via read/write access to recovery system properties. The miniadb recovery service uses an insecure default value that permits those properties to be read and written without additional execution privileges. Exploitation requires local access to the Android device and no user interaction; Android 12L release notes report no active customer exploitation.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Elevation of privilege in Android 12L miniadb allows local users to gain higher privileges via read/write access to recovery system properties. The miniadb recovery service uses an insecure default value that permits those properties to be read and written without additional execution privileges. Exploitation requires local access to the Android device and no user interaction; Android 12L release notes report no active customer exploitation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-39767
Published
Mar 30, 2022
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-1188, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 30, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 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-12L

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=Android-12L

Published CVSS scores

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

CWE-1188Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default
T1068Exploitation 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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