dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0680

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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 system properties, there is a possible information 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 SoCAndroid ID: A-192535676

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

This is a local information disclosure vulnerability in Android's system properties mechanism where a missing permission check allows unauthorized access to sensitive system configuration data. The flaw enables any local process to read system properties that should be protected, without requiring any special privileges or user interaction.

MitigationThis vulnerability requires a system-level patch from the Android SoC manufacturer to add proper permission checks to the system properties access control. End users should apply security updates from their device manufacturers.

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:all versions

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check in Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Any version - the vulnerability affects all Android versions
  2. Verify system properties access without permission
    Execute 'getprop' command to list available system properties, then attempt reading sensitive properties like 'ro.*', 'persist.*', or vendor-specific security properties using 'getprop <property_name>'
    Affected if If properties containing sensitive data (vendor credentials, security configs, keystore keys) are readable without any permission error or privilege requirement
  3. Identify exposed sensitive properties
    Search getprop output for properties containing keywords like 'key', 'secret', 'password', 'token', 'credential', 'security', or vendor-specific sensitive prefixes
    Affected if If any properties containing sensitive configuration or credentials are visible in the getprop output without elevated privileges
  4. Check for vendor-specific sensitive properties
    Run 'getprop | grep -i vendor' and examine vendor-prefixed properties for sensitive data exposure
    Affected if If vendor-specific properties meant to be restricted are accessible to any local app or process

If sensitive system properties containing security configurations, credentials, or protected data can be read via getprop without requiring special permissions or privileges, the device is affected by this vulnerability.

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

This vulnerability requires a system-level patch from the Android SoC manufacturer to add proper permission checks to the system properties access control. End users should apply security updates from their device manufacturers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 11 with January 2021 Security Patch Level (2021-01-01) or later

  1. Verify the current Android security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Ensure the device receives and installs the Android security update for January 2021 or later
  3. For devices no longer receiving official updates, consider upgrading to a device that still receives monthly security patches
  4. If building custom ROMs or AOSP-based systems, ensure the commit addressing A-192535676 is included in the build
Caveat None expected - this is a permission enforcement fix with no API changes

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
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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-2021-0680 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