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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0706

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-22
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 startListening of PluginManagerImpl.java, there is a possible way to disable arbitrary app components due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local denial of service with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11Android ID: A-193444889

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 Android's PluginManagerImpl.java, the startListening function lacks a permission check, allowing a local attacker to disable arbitrary application components without special privileges, causing denial of service.

MitigationAdd proper permission validation in the startListening method of PluginManagerImpl.java to ensure only authorized callers can disable app components.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Check Android OS version
    Run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Version is 10.0 or 11.0 exactly (not 10.0.x or 11.0.x variants)
  2. Identify apps using PluginManagerImpl
    Search application APKs for usage of 'com.android.server.pm.PluginManagerImpl' class and 'startListening' method via decompilation or static analysis tools
    Affected if An app that implements PluginManagerImpl with the vulnerable startListening method is installed
  3. Check if vulnerable component is exported
    Examine the app's AndroidManifest.xml for components (Services, Receivers) implementing PluginManagerImpl and check if they have android:exported="true" without proper permission constraints
    Affected if The PluginManagerImpl-based component is exported and accessible to other apps on the device
  4. Verify component permission protection
    Analyze the PluginManagerImpl.startListening implementation to confirm no permission check exists before allowing component disable operations
    Affected if The startListening method allows disableAppComponent to be called without verifying caller permissions

You are affected only if your Android device runs version 10.0 or 11.0 exactly AND has an application that exposes the unprotected PluginManagerImpl.startListening function to other apps.

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

Add proper permission validation in the startListening method of PluginManagerImpl.java to ensure only authorized callers can disable app components.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 10 (Security Patch Level February 2021 or later) / Android 11 (Security Patch Level February 2021 or later)

  1. Check current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than February 2021, navigate to Settings > System > Software Update
  3. Download and install the latest available security update
  4. After installation, verify the Security Patch Level shows February 2021 or later
  5. Restart the device to ensure all patches are fully applied
Caveat Security updates typically do not introduce breaking changes; they are designed to be applied without affecting existing functionality

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2021-0706 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