dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0701

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpCreate of the PowerVR kernel driver, a missing size check means there is a possible integer overflow that could allow out-of-bounds heap access. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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 PowerVR kernel driver's PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpCreate function, a missing size validation allows an integer overflow when calculating buffer dimensions. This overflow enables out-of-bounds heap memory access, which can be exploited for local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.

MitigationApply vendor-provided security patches for the PowerVR kernel driver (typically through Imagination Technologies or Android monthly security updates), as this is a kernel-level vulnerability requiring vendor firmware/driver updates.

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 PowerVR GPU presence
    Check /proc/pvr or /sys/class/misc for PowerVR entries, or look for 'powervr' or 'imagination' in /proc/modules or kernel boot logs (dmesg | grep -i powervr)
    Affected if No PowerVR GPU or driver is present - the device is not affected if it does not use PowerVR graphics hardware
  2. Locate PowerVR driver version
    Examine /proc/pvr/version for driver version string, or check /sys/module/pvrsrvkm/version if the kernel module is loaded
    Affected if Unable to retrieve version - the PowerVR driver may not be properly loaded or accessible for version checking
  3. Verify Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to get the security patch date, or check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
    Affected if The device is on a patch level before February 2021 - the vulnerability is present in unpatched systems
  4. Confirm vulnerable function exists
    Check /proc/kallsyms or kernel symbols for 'PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpCreate' symbol presence (requires root): cat /proc/kallsyms | grep -i PVRSRVBridgeSync
    Affected if The symbol exists and is exposed - indicates the vulnerable code path is present in the running kernel

A device is affected if it contains a PowerVR GPU with the vulnerable driver and is running an Android version without the February 2021 or later security update that addresses this integer overflow in PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpCreate.

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 vendor-provided security patches for the PowerVR kernel driver (typically through Imagination Technologies or Android monthly security updates), as this is a kernel-level vulnerability requiring vendor firmware/driver updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android security patch level (check Android Security Bulletin for CVE-2021-0701)

  1. Apply the Android security patch level that addresses CVE-2021-0701. Check the Android Security Bulletin for the specific patch date.
  2. Ensure the device receives monthly security updates from the device manufacturer or carrier.
  3. If the device is no longer supported by the manufacturer, consider upgrading to a newer device that continues to receive security updates.
  4. For developers building custom ROMs or using AOSP, ensure the PowerVR kernel driver (PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpCreate) is patched with proper size validation before any memory allocation operations.
Caveat Older devices may not receive patches; some custom ROMs may not include vendor-specific driver fixes

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,720.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0701 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-0701 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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