CVE-2021-1003
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 · uneditedIn adjustStreamVolume of AudioService.java, there is a possible way for unprivileged app to change audio stream volume due to a confused deputy. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12Android ID: A-189857506
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 confidenceA confused deputy vulnerability in Android's AudioService allows an unprivileged app to adjust audio stream volumes that should require higher privileges. The adjustStreamVolume function in AudioService.java does not properly validate the caller's permissions, enabling a local attacker to escalate privileges by manipulating audio settings without any user interaction.
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= 12.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone and check the Android version. The device is affected if the version shows exactly 12.0.Affected if Android version is 12.0 exactly (not a later version)
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Check security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. This shows the date of the installed security updates.Affected if Security patch level is earlier than January 2022, meaning the CVE fix has not been applied
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Confirm AudioService accessibilityThe vulnerability exists in the adjustStreamVolume function within AudioService. This is a system service that handles audio volume adjustments across different audio streams.Affected if The device runs Android 12.0 without the January 2022 security patch, making AudioService vulnerable to unprivileged manipulation
The device is affected if it is running Android 12.0 and has a security patch level earlier than January 2022, as this indicates the AudioService permission validation flaw remains unfixed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply the Android security patch for January 2022 (or later) which addresses this vulnerability in AudioService.java. Users should ensure their devices receive timely monthly security updates from their device manufacturers.
- Apply the Android security update for January 2022 or later to your Android 12.0 device
- Go to Settings > System > Security Update and check for and install available updates
- Alternatively, wait for your device manufacturer to push the January 2022 security patch level update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1003 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-1003 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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