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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-0975

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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 USB Manager, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to side channel information disclosure. This could lead to local information disclosure of installed packages with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-180104273

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 Android's USB Manager, a side-channel information disclosure allows a local attacker to determine whether specific applications are installed without the required QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission. The vulnerability stems from behavioral differences or timing variations when interacting with USB manager functionality, enabling enumeration of installed packages.

MitigationApply the Android security patch (A-180104273) to affected devices. Since this is a framework-level vulnerability in Android, organizations should ensure their device fleet receives timely Google security 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:= 13.0.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Verify Android version
    Check the device Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The device is running Android 13.0.0 exactly (not a later patch version)
  2. Check USB debugging status
    Navigate to Settings > Developer options > USB debugging, or run 'getprop persist.sys.usb.config' via ADB
    Affected if USB debugging is enabled - this increases the attack surface for USB-related vulnerabilities
  3. Confirm USB Manager accessibility
    Use ADB command 'dumpsys usb' to check USB manager service status and permissions
    Affected if The USB manager service is active and responding to queries without proper permission checks
  4. Review installed packages visibility
    Attempt to query package manager for installed applications via USB interface without QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission
    Affected if Application enumeration succeeds without the restricted permission, indicating the vulnerability is present

A device is affected if it runs Android 13.0.0 exactly and the USB Manager allows enumeration of installed packages without QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission.

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 (A-180104273) to affected devices. Since this is a framework-level vulnerability in Android, organizations should ensure their device fleet receives timely Google security updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 with Security Patch Level incorporating the CVE-2021-0975 fix (December 2021 or later)

  1. Apply the Android security update that addresses CVE-2021-0975. This vulnerability is fixed through the monthly Android Security Patch Level that includes the fix for Android ID A-180104273.
  2. Ensure your Android 13 device is updated to the latest available security patch level via Settings > Security > Security update > Check for update.
  3. Verify the fix by confirming the installed Security Patch Level includes the fix for this vulnerability (typically the December 2021 or subsequent security update).
Caveat Security updates are backward-compatible and low-risk; however, ensure critical apps are tested after applying the update

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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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-2021-0975 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
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