dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-13272

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In alarm_ready_generic of alarm.cc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a use after free. This could lead to remote escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1. Android ID: A-67110137.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in the alarm_ready_generic function of alarm.cc in Android allows an out-of-bounds write, potentially enabling remote privilege escalation without user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the official Android security patch for the 2017-08-01 or 2017-08-05 security bulletin that addresses CVE-2017-13272, which includes the corrected memory management in alarm.cc.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 8.0= 8.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell or check /system/build.prop for ro.build.version.release
    Affected if The installed Android version is 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, or 8.1 exactly (exact match, not range)
  2. Check security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the 2017-08-01 or 2017-08-05 bulletin (the patch date is not visible or shows a date before August 2017)
  3. Confirm alarm module presence
    Check for the existence of /system/bin/alarm service or verify the alarm subsystem is accessible on the device. Run 'getprop init.svc.alarm' via ADB shell to check if the alarm service is running
    Affected if The alarm service exists and is active on a version listed as affected (7.0-8.1)
  4. Verify alarm.cc binary version
    If available, examine the alarm service binary (typically /system/bin/hw/[email protected] or similar alarm daemon). Use 'ls -la /system/bin/*alarm*' to list alarm binaries, then check file metadata or strings for version info
    Affected if The alarm binary exists and originates from an unpatched Android 7.0-8.1 build

A device is affected if it runs Android 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, or 8.1 AND has not received the August 2017 security patch, with the alarm subsystem active.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the official Android security patch for the 2017-08-01 or 2017-08-05 security bulletin that addresses CVE-2017-13272, which includes the corrected memory management in alarm.cc.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 8.1 or later (Android 8.1.0 r1 or higher)

  1. 1. Check the current Android version on the affected device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Backup all important data on the device before proceeding with the upgrade
  3. 3. If the device is currently running Android 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, or 8.0, upgrade to Android 8.1 or later
  4. 4. Check for available system updates by going to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > System Updates)
  5. 5. If no OTA update is available, consider obtaining the official factory image for Android 8.1 or later from the Android Developer website and flash the device according to manufacturer instructions
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the Android version in Settings > About Phone shows 8.1 or higher
  7. 7. Ensure monthly Android security patches continue to be applied after upgrade to maintain protection against future vulnerabilities
Caveat Upgrading major Android versions may cause incompatibility with older applications or require reconfiguration of device settings; some device-specific features may differ from earlier Android versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-13272 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data