CVE-2021-0735
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 PackageManager, there is a possible way to get information about installed packages ignoring limitations introduced in Android 11 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-13Android ID: A-188913056
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 confidenceThis is a local information disclosure vulnerability in Android's PackageManager where a missing permission check allows apps to bypass Android 11's package visibility limitations. An attacker can enumerate installed packages without the proper QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission that Android 11 requires, exposing sensitive information about what apps are installed on the device.
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= 13.0.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if The Android version is 13.0.0 (exact version match per affected product range)
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Verify PackageManager is accessibleAttempt to query installed packages via adb shell 'pm list packages' without QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission granted to your appAffected if Packages are returned without the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission being held, indicating the permission bypass is present
A device is affected if it runs Android 13.0.0 and the PackageManager allows package enumeration without the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission, exposing installed app information that should be restricted under Android 11+ package visibility rules.
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 · scopedThis requires a security patch from Google delivered via Android system update. Organizations should ensure Android devices receive timely system updates and verify their fleet is patched. No user-side configuration can fully mitigate this platform-level vulnerability.
Android 13.0.1 or later with latest security patch level
- 1. Check the current Android version on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
- 2. Go to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > Software Update)
- 3. Check for and install any available system updates
- 4. Ensure the device receives the latest Android Security Patch Level (SPL) update for Android 13
- 5. After updating, verify the patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version and checking the Security patch level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,016.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0735 — 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-2021-0735 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
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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