dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0898

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 apusys, there is a possible memory corruption due to a use after free. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS05672107; Issue ID: ALPS05672071.

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

A use-after-free vulnerability in the apusys (AI processing subsystem) allows memory corruption leading to local privilege escalation. The vulnerability exists because a pointer to freed memory is still being accessed after deallocation. System execution privileges are required for exploitation, and no user interaction is needed.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS05672107 to address the use-after-free vulnerability in the apusys subsystem. This is a targeted fix that should be integrated into the affected MediaTek/AIQ firmware or software stack.

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= 12.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if The version returned is 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0
  2. Identify chipset vendor
    Run 'getprop ro.hardware' or check 'getprop ro.chipname' to determine if the device uses a MediaTek chipset
    Affected if The device is MediaTek-based (apusys is a MediaTek AI processing subsystem)
  3. Verify apusys subsystem presence
    Check for apusys-related processes or drivers - look for 'apusys' in running processes via 'ps -A | grep apusys' or check /sys/kernel/debug/apusys/ if debugfs is accessible
    Affected if The apusys subsystem is present and running on the device
  4. Check for apusys kernel module
    List loaded kernel modules with 'lsmod' and search for apusys-related modules, or check /proc/modules
    Affected if An apusys kernel module is loaded

The device is affected if it runs Android 10, 11, or 12 on a MediaTek chipset with the apusys AI processing subsystem present and enabled.

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 vendor patch ALPS05672107 to address the use-after-free vulnerability in the apusys subsystem. This is a targeted fix that should be integrated into the affected MediaTek/AIQ firmware or software stack.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Bulletin April 2021 or later (MediaTek patch level containing ALPS05672107)

  1. Identify the device model and confirm it uses a MediaTek chipset with apusys support
  2. Contact the device manufacturer (OEM) to obtain the latest security update containing the MediaTek patch ALPS05672107
  3. Apply the security update through the device's system update mechanism
  4. Verify the installed security patch level includes the April 2021 Android Security Bulletin or later (which contains the fix for CVE-2021-0898)
  5. Confirm successful patching by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level shows April 2021 or newer
Caveat Applying security updates carries standard update risks; ensure device backup before applying; OEM may have specific update availability timelines

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-0898 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