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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-1001

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
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 PVInitVideoEncoder of mp4enc_api.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a heap buffer overflow. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12Android ID: A-190435883

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 heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the PVInitVideoEncoder function within mp4enc_api.cpp on Android-12. The vulnerability allows an out-of-bounds read on the heap, leading to local information disclosure without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-specific Android security patch for Android-12 that addresses the heap buffer overflow in the video encoder component (mp4enc_api.cpp). Ensure proper bounds validation is implemented in PVInitVideoEncoder before memory access operations.

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:= 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
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 is 12.0
    Check the device or system settings for the Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shell
    Affected if The version is exactly Android 12.0 (Android 12, not 12L or 12 with updates)
  2. Identify video encoder component usage
    Inspect the system for presence of the mp4enc_api.cpp component or associated video encoder library. On Android, this may be found in /system/lib/ or vendor partitions, or check logs for video encoding activity
    Affected if The device uses a video encoder implementation based on mp4enc_api.cpp from the Android 12.0 baseline
  3. Confirm PVInitVideoEncoder function is in use
    Examine the video encoder binary or library for the PVInitVideoEncoder function symbol, or monitor video encoding operations that would invoke this initialization code
    Affected if The video encoder initialization routine PVInitVideoEncoder is present and executable
  4. Check video encoding feature is enabled
    Determine if video encoding capabilities are available on the device - test with a video recording or encoding app, or check for video encoder HAL service
    Affected if Video encoding functionality is accessible and the encoder component is loaded into memory

A device is affected if it runs Android version 12.0 (exactly) and utilizes the video encoder component containing the vulnerable PVInitVideoEncoder function in mp4enc_api.cpp, enabling the heap buffer overflow condition.

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 vendor-specific Android security patch for Android-12 that addresses the heap buffer overflow in the video encoder component (mp4enc_api.cpp). Ensure proper bounds validation is implemented in PVInitVideoEncoder before memory access operations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Update to Android 12.0 with January 2022 Security Patch Level (or later monthly update)

  1. Verify your device is running Android 12.0 by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Check for system updates by going to Settings > System > Security Update > Check for update
  3. Install the January 2022 Android Security Patch Level or later to remediate this vulnerability
  4. After updating, verify the security patch level shows January 2022 or later in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Standard Android security update - no expected breaking changes for users updating within the same Android version

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2021-1001 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