Local privilege escalation via unvalidated user identifier
Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Authentication bypass in Google Android 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2, and 17 allows local users to escalate privileges via biometric settings. BiometricsSettingsBase.onAttach accepts an activity Intent's EXTRA_USER_ID and stores it as mUserId without validating the requesting identity. A local application must reach the affected Settings activity with a crafted user identifier; exploitation requires no user interaction.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in Google Android 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2, and 17 allows local users to escalate privileges via biometric settings. BiometricsSettingsBase.onAttach accepts an activity Intent's EXTRA_USER_ID and stores it as mUserId without validating the requesting identity. A local application must reach the affected Settings activity with a crafted user identifier; exploitation requires no user interaction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-45520
- Published
- Sep 8, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
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?
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- Affected versionversion=14
- Affected versionversion=15
- Affected versionversion=16
- Affected versionversion=16-qpr2
- Affected versionversion=17
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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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