Local privilege escalation via confused-deputy restriction bypass
Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Confused-deputy privilege escalation in Google Android 14, 15, 16, and 16-qpr2 allows local users to bypass Install unknown apps. The setupLayout method in DocumentsUI's PickActivity.java treats an untrusted caller as an authorized deputy and bypasses the security restriction. An installed local app needs no additional execution privileges or user interaction, and successful exploitation elevates its device privileges.
Summary
What happened
Confused-deputy privilege escalation in Google Android 14, 15, 16, and 16-qpr2 allows local users to bypass Install unknown apps. The setupLayout method in DocumentsUI's PickActivity.java treats an untrusted caller as an authorized deputy and bypasses the security restriction. An installed local app needs no additional execution privileges or user interaction, and successful exploitation elevates its device privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-28636
- Published
- Sep 8, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 10, 2026Record 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=14
- Affected versionversion=15
- Affected versionversion=16
- Affected versionversion=16-qpr2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
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