CVE-2019-2213
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 binder_free_transaction of binder.c, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-133758011References: Upstream kernel
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 confidenceA race condition in binder_free_transaction in the Android kernel's binder driver causes a use-after-free vulnerability. An attacker with local access can exploit this race to achieve privilege escalation, gaining elevated system privileges without requiring additional execution rights or user interaction.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm the system is running AndroidRun `uname -a` or check `/system/build.prop` for the `ro.build.id` or `ro.build.version.release` properties to verify the operating system is Android.Affected if The system is not Android (this CVE only affects Android kernels with the binder driver).
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Determine the Android security patch levelRun `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch` or check the Android Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. This indicates when the last security update was applied.Affected if The security patch level is earlier than October 2019 (the fix was included in the October 2019 Android security update).
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Identify the kernel versionRun `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to obtain the kernel version string.Affected if The kernel version predates the patch. For reference, the upstream fix was merged in Linux kernel 5.3-rc1; check if your version is older than the first patched release for your Android version.
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Verify the binder driver is presentConfirm the binder driver is loaded by checking `ls -la /dev/binder` or running `lsmod | grep binder` if module loading is supported.Affected if The binder device exists (this is the vulnerable component), which is true for virtually all Android devices.
A user is affected if they are on Android with a kernel version or security patch level predating the October 2019 security update, and the binder driver is present (standard on all Android devices).
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 upstream kernel patch addressing the race condition in binder.c. Android devices require the corresponding security patch level update from the device manufacturer.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-2213 — 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-2019-2213 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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