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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-2120

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-08-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 OatFileAssistant::GenerateOatFile of oat_file_assistant.cc, there is a possible file corruption issue due to an insecure default value. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: Android. Versions: Android-7.0 Android-7.1.1 Android-7.1.2 Android-8.0 Android-8.1 Android-9. Android ID: A-130821293.

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 · moderate confidence

Vulnerability in Android's OatFileAssistant::GenerateOatFile function in oat_file_assistant.cc allows local privilege escalation through file corruption due to an insecure default value. The flaw enables a locally positioned attacker to elevate privileges without executing additional code.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied Android system updates for affected versions (Android 7.0-9). This is a platform-level vulnerability requiring AOSP patch deployment; no configuration-based workarounds exist.

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= 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check Android OS version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or execute 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shell
    Affected if Version equals 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1, or 9.0
  2. Verify Android Runtime is active
    Confirm the device uses ART as its runtime; on Android 5.0+ this is the default. Check by running 'getprop ro.dalvik.vm.zygote' or inspecting for /data/dalvik-cache directory existence
    Affected if Device uses ART as the runtime environment (standard on all Android 7.0-9.0 devices)

Device is affected if running Android versions 7.0 through 9.0 with Android Runtime (ART) enabled, as the OatFileAssistant vulnerability exists in the ART component of these versions.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied Android system updates for affected versions (Android 7.0-9). This is a platform-level vulnerability requiring AOSP patch deployment; no configuration-based workarounds exist.

We can implement and validate the mitigation, then track the permanent fix — typical engagement from $1,950. Get help mitigating

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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-2019-2120 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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