dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-39679

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
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 init of vendor_graphicbuffer_meta.cpp, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-188745089References: N/A

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 race condition in the init function of vendor_graphicbuffer_meta.cpp in the Android kernel causes a use-after-free vulnerability. Multiple threads access shared buffer metadata without proper synchronization, leading to memory being accessed after it has been freed. This can be exploited for local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction.

MitigationApply the relevant Android monthly security patch or kernel update from the device manufacturer that addresses A-188745089. For enterprise Android device management, enforce patch levels that include this fix.

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:all versions

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 the device is running Android
    Check /system/build.prop for ro.build.fingerprint or run 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' to verify the device is running Google Android
    Affected if The device is not running Google Android (this vulnerability is specific to Android kernel)
  2. Check the Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than December 2021 (the fix was released in the December 2021 Android Security Bulletin)
  3. Verify the kernel version
    Run 'uname -a' or check /proc/version to retrieve the kernel version string
    Affected if The kernel version does not include the fix for A-188745089 (no specific version number to check against; the patch level is the authoritative indicator)
  4. Check if the vendor_graphicbuffer_meta module is loaded
    Run 'ls -la /sys/module/' | grep graphicbuffer or check /sys/module/ for vendor_graphicbuffer_meta directory
    Affected if The vulnerable module exists and the patch level is pre-December 2021

A device is affected if it is running Google Android with a security patch level earlier than December 2021, as the race condition in vendor_graphicbuffer_meta.cpp requires the fix from bulletin A-188745089 to be mitigated.

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 relevant Android monthly security patch or kernel update from the device manufacturer that addresses A-188745089. For enterprise Android device management, enforce patch levels that include this fix.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android Security Patch Level (December 2021 or later monthly update)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Go to System > Security & privacy > Security update (or System > Software Update on some devices)
  3. 3. Check for and install any available security updates
  4. 4. Ensure the device is updated to the latest 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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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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-2021-39679 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