CVE-2026-28603

Local privilege escalation via confused-deputy file access

Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026

Confused-deputy behavior in Google Android 14 through 17 allows local users to read or write private files without user interaction. The assertSafeToStartCustomActivity method in AppRestrictionsFragment.java incorrectly lets a caller use its authority for private-file access. No additional execution privileges are required, and the bounded consequence is unauthorized reads and writes rather than code execution.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.07%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Confused-deputy behavior in Google Android 14 through 17 allows local users to read or write private files without user interaction. The assertSafeToStartCustomActivity method in AppRestrictionsFragment.java incorrectly lets a caller use its authority for private-file access. No additional execution privileges are required, and the bounded consequence is unauthorized reads and writes rather than code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-28603
Published
Sep 8, 2026
Updated
Sep 10, 2026
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
T1404
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 10, 2026Record 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=14
  2. Affected versionversion=15
  3. Affected versionversion=16
  4. Affected versionversion=16-qpr2
  5. Affected versionversion=17

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=14; version=15; version=16; version=16-qpr2; version=17

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1404Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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