dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0883

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 PVRSRVBridgeCacheOpQueue 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-270395013

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

A missing size check in the PowerVR kernel driver's PVRSRVBridgeCacheOpQueue function allows an integer overflow, enabling out-of-bounds heap access. This enables local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level that addresses this vulnerability; contact the device/SoC manufacturer for kernel driver updates if not available through standard OTA 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
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. Check if device uses a PowerVR GPU
    Examine /proc or /sys/class/graphics for PowerVR-related entries, or check kernel boot logs for 'PowerVR' or 'imx-gpu-viv' references. On Android, 'getprop' commands or kernel config files may also reveal GPU vendor information.
    Affected if The device has a PowerVR GPU; otherwise the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Identify the PowerVR kernel driver module
    Look for kernel modules such as 'pvrsrv.ko', 'pvrsrvkm', or similar in /proc/modules, or check /sys/module/ for 'pvrsrv' entries. The driver is typically loaded on devices with PowerVR GPUs.
    Affected if The pvrsrv or related module is loaded, exposing the PVRSRVBridgeCacheOpQueue function.
  3. Verify the Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell, or check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level. The fix is included in the January 2021 security patch or later.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than January 2021, indicating the fix is not applied.
  4. Check the kernel version for backported fixes
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to view the kernel version. Compare against known fixed kernel versions if available from the device manufacturer.
    Affected if The kernel version is older and does not contain the backported fix for the missing size check in PVRSRVBridgeCacheOpQueue.

A device is affected if it has a PowerVR GPU with the pvrsrv kernel driver and its Android security patch level is before January 2021 (or the kernel lacks the fix for the PVRSRVBridgeCacheOpQueue integer overflow).

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 Android security patch level that addresses this vulnerability; contact the device/SoC manufacturer for kernel driver updates if not available through standard OTA updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Bulletin April 2022 or later (security patch level 2022-04-01 or higher)

  1. 1. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android Security Patch Level
  2. 2. Identify if your device uses a PowerVR GPU (common in some MediaTek and other SoCs)
  3. 3. Contact your device manufacturer or carrier to confirm they have released a security update containing the fix for CVE-2021-0883
  4. 4. Apply the latest Android security update once available from your OEM
Caveat Updates are provided through OEM/firmware channels; may not be available for older or unsupported devices

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2021-0883 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