dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0880

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickTA3D 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.Product: AndroidVersions: Android SoCAndroid ID: A-270396792

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 (PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickTA3D), a missing size validation allows an integer overflow when processing certain parameters. 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 the vendor-supplied patch for the PowerVR kernel driver through Android system updates. Users should apply available security patch levels that address 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 GPU hardware vendor
    Check /sys/class/kgdb/kgdb-0/device/vendor or use 'getprop ro.hardware' and 'cat /proc/pvrsrv' if available. Many Android devices use Adreno (Qualcomm) or Mali (ARM) GPUs instead of PowerVR.
    Affected if The device does not have PowerVR GPU hardware - this vulnerability only affects devices with PowerVR GPUs.
  2. Verify PowerVR kernel driver presence
    Check if the PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickTA3D driver entry exists in /sys/module/ or check 'lsmod | grep -i powervr' or 'cat /proc/modules' on a rooted device.
    Affected if The PowerVR kernel module is not loaded - the vulnerability only exists when this specific driver is present.
  3. Confirm driver version is unpatched
    There is no specific safe version listed - this affects all versions. Check the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level.
    Affected if The device has not received the Google Android security patch that addresses this CVE (patch date prior to the fix release).
  4. Check kernel logs for driver initialization
    On a rooted device, run 'dmesg | grep -i pvrsrv' or 'cat /proc/kmsg' to confirm the PowerVR driver loaded.
    Affected if The driver is not initialized - the vulnerability requires the driver to be actively running.

A device is affected only if it contains PowerVR GPU hardware, runs the PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickTA3D kernel driver, and has not received the Google Android security patch that addresses this integer overflow 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

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for the PowerVR kernel driver through Android system updates. Users should apply available security patch levels that address this vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Check your Android device's current security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to confirm if a security update containing the fix for Android ID A-270396792 has been released
  3. If available, apply the latest security update from your device manufacturer
  4. For SoC devices using PowerVR GPU, verify with your SoC vendor (Imagination Technologies) if driver-level updates are required
  5. On enterprise or managed devices, ensure mobile device management (MDM) policies enforce regular security patch updates
Caveat This vulnerability is in the PowerVR kernel driver (CVE-2021-0880). The fix comes through monthly Android security patches, not a version upgrade. Users must wait for their device OEM to release a security update containing this patch.

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2021-0880 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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