CVE-2021-0588
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 processInboundMessage of MceStateMachine.java, there is a possible SMS disclosure due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-8.1 Android-9Android ID: A-177238342
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 · moderate confidenceIn the MceStateMachine.java processInboundMessage function, a missing permission check allows local apps or processes to intercept SMS messages without proper authorization. This enables unauthorized SMS disclosure without requiring user interaction or elevated privileges.
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= 9.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB)Affected if The version is 8.1 or 9.0 exactly (not later versions)
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Verify MceStateMachine component presenceCheck for the file or service component using 'pm list features | grep mce' or search for 'MceStateMachine' in system logsAffected if The MceStateMachine component is present and accessible on the device
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Test SMS interception without permissionsUse a non-privileged app (without READ_SMS) to attempt reading SMS from content://sms/inbox or monitor SMS broadcast intentsAffected if SMS messages can be read or intercepted by an app lacking READ_SMS permission
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Review SMS broadcast receiver configurationCheck AndroidManifest.xml of system apps for unprotected SMS receivers, or monitor 'adb logcat' for SMS_DELIVERED intents accessible to multiple receiversAffected if Multiple receivers can access inbound SMS without proper permission verification
A device is affected if it runs Android 8.1 or 9.0 and allows apps without READ_SMS permission to intercept inbound SMS messages through the MceStateMachine component.
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 dataImplement proper permission verification in processInboundMessage to ensure only authorized system components can access inbound SMS data. Apply Android's READ_SMS or equivalent permission checks before processing message content.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0588 — 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-2021-0588 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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