CVE-2021-0463
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 convertToHidl of convert.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to uninitialized data from ReturnFrameworkMessage. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-154867068
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 Android's HIDL (Hardware Interface Definition Language) convert.cpp module, the convertToHidl function performs an out of bounds read when processing ReturnFrameworkMessage data that was not properly initialized. This allows a local attacker to access uninitialized memory contents, resulting in information disclosure.
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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android Security Patch LevelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell.Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the May 2021 security update (the patch that fixed A-154867068)
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Verify Build FingerprintRun 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' via ADB shell or check in Settings > About Phone > Build Number.Affected if The build does not contain the May 2021 or later security update indicators for this vulnerability
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Confirm HIDL Service AvailabilityRun 'getprop ro.hardware' to identify the device hardware and check if HIDL services are active via 'lshal' command if available.Affected if HIDL services are running on the device (the vulnerable convertToHidl function processes ReturnFrameworkMessage within HIDL)
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Check for Specific Build VersionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' and 'getprop ro.vendor.build.version.sdk' to identify the Android version.Affected if Any Android version (the vulnerability affects all versions prior to the patch)
The device is affected if it has not received the May 2021 security patch (or later) that addresses A-154867068, as the vulnerability exists in the HIDL convert.cpp module when processing uninitialized ReturnFrameworkMessage data.
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 vendor/security patch from Google that addresses A-154867068. Users should ensure their Android devices receive the latest system updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0463 — 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-2021-0463 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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