CVE-2021-0539
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 archiveStoredConversation of MmsService.java, there is a possible way to archive message conversation without user consent due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-180419673
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 archiveStoredConversation of MmsService.java on Android-11, a missing permission check allows a local application to archive message conversations without user consent, leading to local escalation of privilege. An app can exploit this without any additional execution privileges 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 data= 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.
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Confirm Android version is 11.0Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in adb shell or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The version returned is 11.0 (any build) - versions other than 11.0 are not affected by this specific CVE
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Verify MmsService component existsCheck for MmsService in system services via 'dumpsys -l | grep MmsService' or inspect the framework JAR at /system/framework/framework.jar for MmsService.java classAffected if MmsService is present and loaded on the device - the vulnerable code path exists in this component
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Check if messaging permissions are properly enforcedReview the MmsService.java source code (if available) or decompile the framework to verify archiveStoredConversation method contains a permission check (e.g., android.permission.MANAGE_MESSAGES or similar) before allowing conversation archivalAffected if The archiveStoredConversation method lacks a permission check - the vulnerability is present and exploitable
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Identify exposed broadcast receivers or intentsUse 'dumpsys package' to list broadcast receivers for android.permission.MANAGE_MESSAGES or check if any component accepts archive conversation intents without permission validationAffected if An app can send an intent to archive conversations without holding required permissions, confirming the missing check
If the device runs Android 11.0 and the MmsService archiveStoredConversation method lacks proper permission validation, the device is vulnerable to local privilege escalation via unauthorized conversation archival.
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 Google security patch for CVE-2021-0539 which adds proper permission validation before allowing conversation archival in MmsService.java.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0539 — 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-2021-0539 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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