dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0953

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-15
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 setOnClickActivityIntent of SearchWidgetProvider.java, there is a possible way to access contacts and history bookmarks without permission due to an unsafe PendingIntent. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-9Android ID: A-184046278

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 setOnClickActivityIntent of SearchWidgetProvider.java, an unsafe PendingIntent allows local apps to access contacts and history bookmarks without proper permission checks, enabling local privilege escalation. The PendingIntent is not properly secured (likely missing FLAG_IMMUTABLE or proper intent explicitness), allowing malicious apps to intercept or hijack the intent.

MitigationSecure the PendingIntent by using FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT with proper intent specificity) and ensure all intent extras and data are set explicitly at creation time rather than relying on mutable state that can be modified by other apps.

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:= 9.0= 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
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 Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Version equals 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 (any of the affected versions listed)
  2. Identify apps using SearchWidgetProvider
    Use ADB to list packages: 'adb shell pm list packages | xargs -I {} adb shell dumpsys package {} | grep -i searchwidgetprovider' or decompile APKs to search for 'SearchWidgetProvider' class references
    Affected if Any installed app implements or extends SearchWidgetProvider class
  3. Inspect PendingIntent creation in SearchWidgetProvider
    Decompile the suspected APK and examine the setOnClickActivityIntent method in SearchWidgetProvider.java for PendingIntent creation. Check if FLAG_IMMUTABLE is present and if intent extras are set explicitly at creation time
    Affected if PendingIntent is created without FLAG_IMMUTABLE and intent data can be modified externally
  4. Verify intent explicitness
    In the decompiled code, examine the intent used with the PendingIntent and check if action, data, and extras are fully specified at creation rather than relying on implicit or mutable state
    Affected if Intent lacks explicit action string or data URI, allowing hijacking

The device is affected if it runs Android 9.0-12.0 AND contains an app using SearchWidgetProvider where the PendingIntent in setOnClickActivityIntent lacks FLAG_IMMUTABLE or explicit intent specification.

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

Secure the PendingIntent by using FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT with proper intent specificity) and ensure all intent extras and data are set explicitly at creation time rather than relying on mutable state that can be modified by other apps.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android Security Patch Level November 2021 (2021-11-01) or later for Android 9, 10, 11, and 12

  1. 1. Go to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Navigate to System > Security > Google Play system update (or Settings > About Phone > Software Update on some devices)
  3. 3. Check for and install the latest Android security update
  4. 4. Verify the patch level is November 2021 (2021-11-01) or later by checking Settings > About Phone > Android version > Security patch level
  5. 5. Confirm the update addresses the SearchWidgetProvider PendingIntent vulnerability
Caveat Standard Android security updates typically have minimal risk; verify apps remain functional after update

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0953 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-0953 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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