dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-1004

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 getConfiguredNetworks of WifiServiceImpl.java, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to a missing permission check. 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-197749180

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 getConfiguredNetworks of WifiServiceImpl.java on Android-12, a missing permission check allows any app to call this method and determine whether specific apps are installed by checking for configured network entries associated with those apps, without requiring any special permissions. This enables local privilege escalation as unprivileged apps can enumerate installed applications.

MitigationAdd proper permission verification (e.g., CHECK_NETWORK_PERMISSION) in the getConfiguredNetworks method to ensure only authorized system components or apps with appropriate permissions can query configured network information.

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
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. Confirm Android version is 12.0
    Check the device system property 'ro.build.version.release' equals '12' or '12.0' - on device: Settings > About Phone > Android version, or via adb: 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if The version is NOT 12.0 - if the device runs Android 11, 13, or later, it is not affected by this specific CVE which affects only Android = 12.0
  2. Check if any app can query configured WiFi networks without permission
    Use an app or adb command to call WifiManager.getConfiguredNetworks() from an app without 'ACCESS_WIFI_STATE' or 'CHANGE_WIFI_STATE' permissions - on adb: 'adb shell dumpsys wifi | grep -i configured' to see if network configs are exposed
    Affected if The call returns network configurations without requiring any special permissions, indicating the missing permission check is present
  3. Verify the WifiServiceImpl permission check is missing
    Check the source code or decompiled APK of WifiService for the getConfiguredNetworks method - look for missing 'CHECK_NETWORK_PERMISSION' or similar permission enforcement before returning network data
    Affected if The method returns configured network entries to any caller without validating they hold the required network permission, meaning the vulnerability is present
  4. Test app enumeration via network configs
    Install a non-privileged test app and attempt to query configured networks to see if it can detect which apps have configured WiFi networks (this reveals installed apps by their network entries)
    Affected if A standard app can successfully retrieve configured network entries and infer which apps created them, confirming the local privilege escalation flaw exists

The device is affected only if it runs Android 12.0 and apps without special permissions can query configured WiFi networks, allowing app enumeration through network configuration entries.

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

Add proper permission verification (e.g., CHECK_NETWORK_PERMISSION) in the getConfiguredNetworks method to ensure only authorized system components or apps with appropriate permissions can query configured network information.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 12 with January 2022 security patch level or later

  1. 1. Check your device manufacturer's Android security update schedule for CVE-2021-1004
  2. 2. Apply the latest Android 12 security patch level (January 2022 or later) via system settings > Security > Security update
  3. 3. Verify the patch was applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level

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
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2021-1004 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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