Local privilege escalation via unexported intent launch
Published Nov 8, 2022 · Updated May 1, 2025
Privilege escalation in Android 10 through 13 allows local users to launch an unexported intent handler through an intent trampoline. Task.java's navigateUpTo accepted a new intent for a non-exported activity even when the calling activity belonged to a different UID. Exploitation requires a targeted app with an intent trampoline but needs no user interaction or additional execution privileges, allowing access across the app's intended component boundary.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Android 10 through 13 allows local users to launch an unexported intent handler through an intent trampoline. Task.java's navigateUpTo accepted a new intent for a non-exported activity even when the calling activity belonged to a different UID. Exploitation requires a targeted app with an intent trampoline but needs no user interaction or additional execution privileges, allowing access across the app's intended component boundary.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-20441
- Published
- Nov 8, 2022
- Updated
- May 1, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-276, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 8, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 1, 2025Record 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-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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
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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