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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0885

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 PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpTake 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-270401914

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

Integer overflow vulnerability in the PowerVR kernel driver's PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpTake function due to a missing size check, allowing out-of-bounds heap access and local privilege escalation without user interaction.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level that addresses this vulnerability; contact the SoC vendor for device-specific kernel 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
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 if the device uses a PowerVR GPU
    Check the SoC/GPU info via 'cat /sys/class/kgsl/kgsl-3d0/gpuinfo' or check /proc/cpuinfo for the SoC model. PowerVR GPUs are commonly found in certain MediaTek and other SoCs.
    Affected if The device has a PowerVR GPU (check if the SoC uses PowerVR graphics)
  2. Check if the PowerVR kernel driver module is loaded
    Run 'lsmod' or check /proc/modules for pvr, pvrsrv, or img driver modules related to PowerVR. Also check /sys/module/ for PowerVR-related modules.
    Affected if A PowerVR kernel driver module is present and loaded
  3. Verify the kernel driver version
    If the module is found, check its version via 'modinfo <module_name>' or check the driver files in /system/lib/modules/ or /vendor/lib/modules/ for version information.
    Affected if The driver version cannot be determined or falls within the affected range (all versions per the advisory)
  4. Check Android security patch level as context
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to see the installed patch level. The vulnerability affects all Android versions until the patch is applied.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the fix release date for this CVE and the device has PowerVR GPU hardware

A user is affected if the device contains a PowerVR GPU and the PowerVR kernel driver is present, combined with a security patch level that predates the CVE fix.

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 SoC vendor for device-specific kernel driver updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Update to the latest Android version available for your device with security patch level of April 2022 or later

  1. Check current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Ensure the device has received the Android Security Bulletin patch for April 2022 or later
  3. Go to Settings > System > Software Update and apply any available updates
  4. If no update is available, contact the device manufacturer or carrier for the latest security patch
Caveat Some older devices may not receive further updates; consider upgrading to a newer device if no patch is available

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
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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-2021-0885 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