Local privilege escalation via protected-package deletion
Published Dec 13, 2022 · Updated Apr 22, 2025
Permission bypass in Android 10 through 13 allows local users to escalate privileges by deleting a carrier-protected package. DeletePackageHelper.deletePackageVersionedInternal processes a package-deletion request without checking whether package data is protected. Low-privileged local access is required, and no user interaction is needed; successful exploitation removes a protected package and bypasses carrier restrictions.
Summary
What happened
Permission bypass in Android 10 through 13 allows local users to escalate privileges by deleting a carrier-protected package. DeletePackageHelper.deletePackageVersionedInternal processes a package-deletion request without checking whether package data is protected. Low-privileged local access is required, and no user interaction is needed; successful exploitation removes a protected package and bypasses carrier restrictions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-20611
- Published
- Dec 13, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 22, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-276
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 13, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 22, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
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
- ADB protected-package deletion demonstrationproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo