CVE-2023-40116

Local privilege escalation via hidden PiP window

Published Oct 27, 2023 · Updated May 5, 2025

Privilege escalation in Google Android 11, 12, and 12L allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a hidden picture-in-picture window. PipTaskOrganizer.onTaskAppeared accepts a small source-rectangle hint and can create a non-visible PiP window, bypassing background activity launch restrictions. Exploitation requires a local app with low privileges but no user interaction, and can expose confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the device.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.10%
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 Google Android 11, 12, and 12L allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a hidden picture-in-picture window. PipTaskOrganizer.onTaskAppeared accepts a small source-rectangle hint and can create a non-visible PiP window, bypassing background activity launch restrictions. Exploitation requires a local app with low privileges but no user interaction, and can expose confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the device.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-40116
Published
Oct 27, 2023
Updated
May 5, 2025
Vendor
Google
Product
Android
Classifications
T1548
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 27, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 5, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=11
  2. Affected versionversion=12
  3. Affected versionversion=12L

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google · Androidversion=11; version=12; version=12L

Published CVSS scores

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

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

T1548Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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