CVE-2021-0390
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 various methods of WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.java, there is a possible modification of suggested networks due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege by a background user on the same device with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11 Android-8.1 Android-9 Android-10Android ID: A-174749461
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 confidenceIn WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.java, multiple methods lack proper permission checks, allowing any background app to modify WiFi network suggestions. This missing authorization enables local privilege escalation where an app can manipulate network suggestions beyond its intended permissions.
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= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check the Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or Settings > System > About Phone > Android version on some devices) and note the displayed version numberAffected if The version is 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 exactly as listed in the affected versions
-
Confirm WiFi capability existsVerify the device has WiFi hardware and WiFi is enabled (Settings > Network & Internet > WiFi or similar)Affected if WiFi is present and enabled on an Android device running an affected version
-
Check the security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level (or Settings > System > Security > Security patch level) and note the dateAffected if The security patch level is earlier than the date when Google released the fix for CVE-2021-0390 (typically the March 2021 Android Security Bulletin or earlier)
The device is affected if it runs Android 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 and has not received the March 2021 Android security update or later that addresses this permission bypass in WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.
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 proper permission validation (e.g., checking for CHANGE_WIFI_STATE or corresponding signature-level permissions) in all affected methods of WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.java before allowing network suggestion modifications.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0390 — 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-2021-0390 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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