CVE-2018-9458
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 · uneditedIn computeFocusedWindow of RootWindowContainer.java, and related functions, there is possible interception of keypresses due to focus being on the wrong window. This could lead to local escalation of privilege revealing the user's keypresses while the screen was locked with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Product: Android Versions: Android-8.0 Android-8.1 Android ID: A-71786287.
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 confidenceThis is a window focus management vulnerability in Android's RootWindowContainer where the system incorrectly assigns input focus to the wrong window. When the screen is locked, keypresses can be intercepted by an application that has incorrectly acquired focus instead of being routed to the lock screen or intended target. This allows a local attacker to capture user keystrokes including PINs, passwords, or other sensitive input entered on a locked device.
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= 8.0= 8.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Android versionCheck the device Android version via Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'Affected if Version is exactly 8.0 or 8.1 (the affected versions)
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Confirm screen lock is configuredCheck if a screen lock (PIN, password, pattern, or biometric) is enabled under Settings > Security > Screen lock, or query via 'adb shell settings get secure lock_screen_lockout_attempt'Affected if A screen lock is enabled, which is required for the vulnerable condition (locked state) to exist
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Identify focused window while lockedWhen the screen is locked, use 'adb shell dumpsys window' to list windows and check which window has FLAG_HAS_HANDLE_WINDOW_GAINED_FOCUS or input focus assignedAffected if A window other than the lock screen or keyguard has input focus while the device is locked (indicating the vulnerability is present)
A device is affected if it runs Android 8.0 or 8.1, has a screen lock configured, and any application window incorrectly acquires input focus while the screen is locked.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Android security patch level for the appropriate CVE release date (2018-09 or later for A-71786287). For custom implementations, modify RootWindowContainer.java focus logic to enforce proper focus validation for lock screen states before dispatching key events.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9458 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-9458 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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