AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-0395

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 showNotification of EmergencyCallbackModeService.java, there is a possible permission bypass due to an unsafe PendingIntent. This could lead to local information disclosure with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-8.0 Android-8.1 Android-9 Android-10 Android-11Android ID: A-154124307

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

In Android's EmergencyCallbackModeService, the showNotification method creates an unsafe PendingIntent that can be exploited by a malicious local application to access notification data, leading to local information disclosure. The vulnerability stems from improper PendingIntent configuration that doesn't restrict who can intercept or mutate the intent.

MitigationUpdate PendingIntent creation in EmergencyCallbackModeService to use FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_MUTABLE with proper restrictions) and ensure the intent's target package is explicitly set to prevent hijacking. Test thoroughly to maintain Emergency Callback Mode functionality.

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:= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB)
    Affected if Version equals 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 - the device is in the affected version range
  2. Identify EmergencyCallbackModeService usage
    Search system apps or custom ROMs for code using EmergencyCallbackModeService and its showNotification method
    Affected if The service is present and processes sensitive notifications
  3. Inspect PendingIntent creation in showNotification
    Decompile/systematically analyze EmergencyCallbackModeService.apk or source code - locate showNotification method and examine PendingIntent construction
    Affected if PendingIntent is created without FLAG_IMMUTABLE and without explicit target package restrictions
  4. Check for malicious local applications
    Review installed applications for suspicious apps with permission to intercept intents or access notification data
    Affected if A malicious app with INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS or notification listener permissions is installed
  5. Verify notification data exposure
    Monitor logcat or use a security tool to observe if notification content from EmergencyCallbackModeService is accessible to other apps
    Affected if Other apps can read or intercept emergency callback notifications

A device is affected if it runs Android 8.0-10.0 and contains the vulnerable EmergencyCallbackModeService with improperly secured PendingIntent that lacks FLAG_IMMUTABLE.

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

Update PendingIntent creation in EmergencyCallbackModeService to use FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_MUTABLE with proper restrictions) and ensure the intent's target package is explicitly set to prevent hijacking. Test thoroughly to maintain Emergency Callback Mode functionality.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2020-0395 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