dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0698

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-24
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 PVRSRVBridgeHeapCfgHeapDetails, there is a possible leak of kernel heap content due to uninitialized data. 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-236848165

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 the PVRSRVBridgeHeapCfgHeapDetails function within the PowerVR graphics driver (used in Android SoCs), kernel heap memory is leaked to userspace due to uninitialized data structures. When this IOCTL handler processes heap configuration requests, it returns kernel heap contents that were not properly zeroed before being copied to userspace, allowing a local attacker to read sensitive kernel memory.

MitigationApply the vendor-specific Android security patch for CVE-2021-0698 from the SoC vendor (Imagination Technologies for PowerVR-based devices). This is a kernel driver patch requiring vendor coordination; no user-facing configuration can mitigate this vulnerability.

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. Identify PowerVR graphics driver presence
    Check /sys/class/misc/pvrsrvkm or /dev/pvrsrvkm for the PowerVR driver interface, or run 'cat /proc/version' and look for references to Imagination or PowerVR in kernel info
    Affected if Device uses Imagination Technologies PowerVR GPU (common in many Android SoCs)
  2. Check Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if Security patch level is earlier than the vendor release date for CVE-2021-0698 (this is a kernel driver patch, so the specific date varies by SoC vendor)
  3. Verify the vulnerable IOCTL is present
    Check if /dev/pvrsrvkm exists and is accessible; the vulnerable function PVRSRVBridgeHeapCfgHeapDetails handles heap configuration IOCTLs
    Affected if The IOCTL interface exists and responds to heap configuration requests (required for the leak to occur)
  4. Check for vendor-specific PowerVR driver version
    Examine /sys/module/pvrsrvkm/version or check via 'cat /sys/class/misc/pvrsrvkm/device/version' if available
    Affected if Cannot directly determine vulnerability status from version alone without vendor patch information; must rely on security patch date

Device is affected if it uses a PowerVR GPU and has not received the vendor-specific security patch addressing CVE-2021-0698; check Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level for the update.

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 vendor-specific Android security patch for CVE-2021-0698 from the SoC vendor (Imagination Technologies for PowerVR-based devices). This is a kernel driver patch requiring vendor coordination; no user-facing configuration can mitigate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Check your Android device for the latest available system software update in Settings > System > Software Update and install it
  2. Ensure your device has the latest Android security patch level installed (go to Settings > About Phone > Android version to verify the security patch date)
  3. For devices with custom kernels or ROMs, ensure the kernel source includes the fix for the PVR driver uninitialized resource issue
  4. If your device is no longer receiving official security updates, consider migrating to a device that still receives monthly security patches
Caveat Devices that no longer receive manufacturer security updates cannot be patched for this vulnerability through official channels

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
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2.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2021-0698 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