dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-1016

HIGH · 7.3 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 →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 onCreate of UsbPermissionActivity.java, there is a possible way to grant an app access to USB without informed user consent due to a tapjacking/overlay attack. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12Android ID: A-183610267

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 12's UsbPermissionActivity.java, a tapjacking/overlay attack allows a malicious app to intercept user taps on the USB permission dialog, potentially granting USB access to an app without informed user consent. This enables local privilege escalation by tricking users into unknowingly granting sensitive USB permissions.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level for Android-12 that addresses A-183610267. Users should avoid installing apps from untrusted sources and revoke unnecessary USB permissions granted to 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:= 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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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. Verify Android version is 12.0
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The device is running Android 12.0 (exactly) - this is the sole affected version per the CVE
  2. Confirm app installation from unknown sources is enabled
    Check Settings > Security > Unknown sources, or on Android 12+ check Settings > Apps > Special app access > Install unknown apps
    Affected if Sideloading (installing apps from non-Play Store sources) is allowed, which is required for a malicious app to be installed
  3. Review apps with overlay permission (draw over other apps)
    Check Settings > Apps > Special app access > Display over other apps, or run 'adb shell dumpsys package <package> | grep SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW'
    Affected if Any app has the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (overlay) permission, which enables the tapjacking attack surface
  4. Audit USB permissions granted to apps
    Check Settings > Developer options > USB debugging and any granted USB permissions, or inspect /data/system/package.xml for UsbPermissionGrant entries
    Affected if Any app has been granted USB permissions, as the attack aims to intercept the permission grant dialog

The device is affected only if it runs Android 12.0, has an untrusted app installed (requiring unknown sources + overlay permission), and has USB permissions that could be exploited through the tapjacking vulnerability.

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 level for Android-12 that addresses A-183610267. Users should avoid installing apps from untrusted sources and revoke unnecessary USB permissions granted to apps.

Recommended fix High confidence

December 2021 Android Security Patch Level (or later) for Android 12

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings > Security on the Android device
  2. 2. Select 'Security update' or 'Google Security checkup'
  3. 3. Check for and install the latest available security patch level
  4. 4. Ensure the installed security patch level is December 2021 or later which contains the fix for CVE-2021-1016
  5. 5. After updating, verify the USB permission prompts are functioning correctly and not being bypassed by overlay attacks
Caveat Monthly security updates are cumulative; installing the December 2021 patch or later will include all prior monthly security fixes

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 / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-1016 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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data