dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0658

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 apusys, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS05672107; Issue ID: ALPS05672107.

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 confidence

In the apusys driver (MediaTek AI Processing Unit subsystem), a missing bounds check allows an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. This could enable local privilege escalation from System execution privileges, requiring no user interaction.

MitigationApply patch ALPS05672107 to add proper bounds checking in the apusys driver. Restrict access to apusys device nodes until the patch is deployed.

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:= 10.0= 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the chipset vendor
    Check /proc/cpuinfo or use 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep Hardware' to determine if the device uses a MediaTek chipset
    Affected if The device does not use a MediaTek (MTK) chipset - this vulnerability only affects MediaTek-based devices
  2. Confirm Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' to check the Android OS version
    Affected if The version is neither 10.0 nor 11.0 - these are the only affected versions listed
  3. Verify apusys driver presence
    Check for apusys device nodes by running 'ls -la /dev/apus*' or checking if the apusys kernel module is loaded via 'lsmod | grep apusys'
    Affected if The apusys driver or device nodes are present on the device - the vulnerability exists in this driver
  4. Check apusys device node permissions
    Examine permissions on /dev/apus* device nodes with 'ls -la /dev/apus*' to see if any are world-accessible or accessible by non-privileged users
    Affected if The apusys device nodes are accessible to user-facing applications or unprivileged accounts

A user is affected if they have a MediaTek-based device running Android 10.0 or 11.0 with the apusys driver present and accessible on the system.

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 patch ALPS05672107 to add proper bounds checking in the apusys driver. Restrict access to apusys device nodes until the patch is deployed.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 10.0/11.0 with July 2021 security patch level or later; or upgrade to Android 12 which includes the fix

  1. 1. Check current Android security patch level on the device: Settings > About Phone > Android version or Settings > Security > Security patch level
  2. 2. Verify the device has received the July 2021 Android Security Bulletin update or later from the device manufacturer
  3. 3. If the device is still on Android 10.0 or 11.0 and has not received the July 2021 security patch, contact the device OEM for an update containing the fix for CVE-2021-0658 (Patch ID: ALPS05672107)
  4. 4. Apply the available system update that includes the MediaTek security fix
  5. 5. After update, confirm the security patch level reflects July 2021 or later
Caveat Minimal risk - security patch updates are typically backward compatible; some older devices may not receive the update if manufacturer support has ended

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-0658 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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