CVE-2021-0661
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 audio DSP, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS05844413; Issue ID: ALPS05844413.
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 confidenceA bounds check vulnerability in the audio DSP (Digital Signal Processor) allows an out-of-bounds write due to incorrect bounds validation. This could enable a local attacker to escalate privileges to System level without 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= 9.0= 10.0= 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify Android versionCheck the installed Android version by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADBAffected if The version is 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0
-
Confirm audio DSP component presenceCheck if the audio HAL/DSP service is running. On Android, verify the existence of /vendor/lib/hw/audio.primary.*.so or /system/lib/hw/audio.primary.*.so libraries, or check 'getprop | grep audio' via ADBAffected if The audio DSP component (audio.primary HAL) is present on the device
-
Check audio HAL library versionIdentify the audio.primary HAL library in /vendor/lib/hw/ or /system/lib/hw/ and check its metadata or associated firmware version if exposed via 'dumpsys audio' or vendor-specific logsAffected if The audio HAL loads a DSP firmware without visible version indicators that would indicate the patched ALPS05844413
A device is affected if it runs Android 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 and contains the vulnerable audio DSP component with the original unpatched bounds check logic.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply vendor patch ALPS05844413 to address the incorrect bounds check in the audio DSP component.
Android Security Bulletin (monthly patch containing CVE-2021-0661 fix) - contact device manufacturer for specific version
- Check your Android device's security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
- If the patch level is earlier than the fix release for this CVE, check with your device manufacturer for the available security update containing the MediaTek audio DSP fix
- Apply the available system update from your device manufacturer that includes the security patch for this vulnerability
- After updating, verify the security patch level has been updated to include the fix
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,992.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0661 — 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-2021-0661 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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