Local privilege escalation via cleared caller identity
Published Jan 21, 2025 · Updated Mar 18, 2025
Privilege escalation in Google Android 13 through 15 allows local users to launch arbitrary activities as the system UID. WindowOrganizerController.applyTaskFragmentOperation clears the Binder calling UID before SafeActivityOptions is constructed, so permission checks use the system identity instead of the actual caller. A low-privileged local app can exploit the flawed task-fragment operation without user interaction or additional execution privileges.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Google Android 13 through 15 allows local users to launch arbitrary activities as the system UID. WindowOrganizerController.applyTaskFragmentOperation clears the Binder calling UID before SafeActivityOptions is constructed, so permission checks use the system identity instead of the actual caller. A low-privileged local app can exploit the flawed task-fragment operation without user interaction or additional execution privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-49737
- Published
- Jan 21, 2025
- Updated
- Mar 18, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-276, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 21, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 18, 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=13
- Affected versionversion=14
- Affected versionversion=15
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
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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