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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-1033

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-30
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 createGeneralSlice of ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider.java.java, there is a possible permission bypass due to an unsafe PendingIntent. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12LAndroid ID: A-185247656

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 ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider, the createGeneralSlice method uses an unsafe PendingIntent that can be exploited for permission bypass, allowing a local attacker to escalate privileges. The vulnerability stems from the PendingIntent not being properly secured with FLAG_IMMUTABLE or appropriate flags, potentially allowing an attacker to intercept or manipulate the intent.

MitigationApply the fix released in Android security patches - this involves properly securing the PendingIntent with FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT with appropriate flags) in the ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider.java code. Users should apply available Android system 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:= 12.1

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. Check your Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB.
    Affected if The installed Android version is 12.1 (or falls within the unspecified affected range beyond 12.1 if the CVE affects versions beyond what's listed)
  2. Verify the security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB.
    Affected if The security patch level predates the October 2021 Android security update (the month CVE-2021-1033 was addressed)
  3. Confirm the ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider component exists
    Run 'dumpsys package com.android.server.slice' via ADB shell to list SliceProvider components, or check for 'ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider' in the system logs.
    Affected if The ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider component is present and active on the device

You are affected if your Android 12.1 device has a security patch level earlier than the October 2021 update, and the ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider component is present on your system.

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 fix released in Android security patches - this involves properly securing the PendingIntent with FLAG_IMMUTABLE (or FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT with appropriate flags) in the ConnectedDevicesSliceProvider.java code. Users should apply available Android system updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android-12L (Android 12.1) with subsequent security patch level (refer to Android Security Bulletin for the month containing the fix)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Go to System > System update (or Settings > About phone > System update)
  3. 3. Check for and install any available system updates
  4. 4. Ensure the device updates to a security patch level that includes the fix for Android-12L (Android ID A-185247656)
Caveat Side effects are minimal; security updates typically do not introduce breaking changes

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 / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2021-1033 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