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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0557

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 setRange of ABuffer.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. This could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-179046129

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 ABuffer.cpp, the setRange function contains an integer overflow vulnerability that can cause an out-of-bounds write. When the range parameters exceed integer limits, the overflow allows the write operation to bypass boundary checks, potentially enabling remote code execution. User interaction is required to trigger this vulnerability in the Android media framework.

MitigationApply the Android-11 security update containing the patch for A-179046129; this is a framework-level fix requiring system-level patch deployment rather than application-level remediation.

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:= 11.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Android version
    Check system settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if Device is running exactly Android 11.0 (version code 30)
  2. Check security patch level
    Check Settings > Security > Security patch level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'
    Affected if Security patch level is earlier than the Android-11 update containing fix for A-179046129 (typically before May 2021)
  3. Confirm vulnerable component present
    Verify the media framework component exists: check /system/lib/libstagefright.so or similar libraries containing ABuffer.cpp functionality
    Affected if Media framework libraries are present and the setRange function is exposed to untrusted input
  4. Verify user-accessible media paths
    Check if applications can pass crafted media data to the setRange function through media playback or processing features
    Affected if User interaction can trigger media framework code paths using setRange with controllable parameters

Device is affected if running exactly Android 11.0 and the security patch level predates the fix for A-179046129, with the media framework accessible to trigger the setRange integer overflow.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Android-11 security update containing the patch for A-179046129; this is a framework-level fix requiring system-level patch deployment rather than application-level remediation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 11 with 2021-09-01 security patch level or later; Android 12 also contains the fix

  1. Check your Android device's current security patch level by navigating to Settings > Security > Security update
  2. Ensure your device has received the September 2021 security update (2021-09-01 patch level) or later which contains the fix for CVE-2021-0557
  3. If the update is not available, contact your device manufacturer or carrier for the patch
  4. For enterprise-managed devices, ensure your mobile device management (MDM) system deploys the September 2021 Android security patch or newer

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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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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-2021-0557 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