dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-2111

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-08
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 loop of DnsTlsSocket.cpp, there is a possible heap memory corruption due to a use after free. This could lead to remote code execution in the netd server with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: Android-9. Android ID: A-122856181.

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 exists in the DNS TLS socket handling code (DnsTlsSocket.cpp) within Android's netd server. During loop execution, heap memory is freed but continues to be accessed, leading to heap corruption and potential remote code execution. No privileges or user interaction are required for exploitation.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for CVE-2019-2111 (part of Android-9 security updates). This is a netd server vulnerability requiring system-level patching; ensure devices receive the latest Android security bulletin updates.

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:= 9.0

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. Confirm Android version is 9.0
    Check the Android version on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if The version displays exactly 9.0 (Android Pie)
  2. Verify DNS-over-TLS is configured
    Check if Private DNS mode is enabled: go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS, or run 'adb shell settings get global private_dns_mode' and 'adb shell settings get global private_dns_specifier'
    Affected if Private DNS is set to 'hostname' or 'opportunistic' with a provider hostname configured, enabling DNS-over-TLS functionality
  3. Confirm netd server is running
    Run 'adb shell ps -A | grep netd' to verify the netd daemon is active
    Affected if The netd process is running (this is the default state on Android)
  4. Check Android security patch level
    Run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the May 2019 Android security bulletin (CVE-2019-2111 was patched in May 2019)

A device is affected if it runs Android 9.0 (Pie) with a security patch level prior to May 2019 and has DNS-over-TLS/Private DNS enabled, as the use-after-free in netd's DnsTlsSocket.cpp requires TLS socket handling to be exercised.

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 Android security patch for CVE-2019-2111 (part of Android-9 security updates). This is a netd server vulnerability requiring system-level patching; ensure devices receive the latest Android security bulletin updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 9.0 with January 2019 security patch level or later; alternatively upgrade to Android 10+ which includes the fix

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. If the device is on Android 9.0 (Pie), apply the January 2019 security update or later monthly patch that addresses CVE-2019-2111
  3. Verify the security patch level is January 2019 or later after the update
Caveat Monthly security patches are device-specific; not all Android 9.0 devices receive all updates; some older devices may not support newer Android versions

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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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-2019-2111 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