Local privilege escalation via confused deputy
Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Privilege escalation in Google Android 14, 15, 16, and 16-qpr2 allows local users to bypass permissions without user interaction. startNextMatchingActivity in ActivityTaskManagerService acts as a confused deputy and launches an activity with authority unavailable to its caller. A locally executing app needs no additional execution privileges and can obtain permissions beyond its assigned security context.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Google Android 14, 15, 16, and 16-qpr2 allows local users to bypass permissions without user interaction. startNextMatchingActivity in ActivityTaskManagerService acts as a confused deputy and launches an activity with authority unavailable to its caller. A locally executing app needs no additional execution privileges and can obtain permissions beyond its assigned security context.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-28644
- Published
- Sep 8, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- T1626
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
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
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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.
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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