dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20002

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 incfs, there is a possible way of mounting on arbitrary paths due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12LAndroid ID: A-198657657

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-12L's incfs (Incremental File System) driver, a missing permission check allows unprivileged or semi-privileged users to mount the filesystem on arbitrary paths, enabling local privilege escalation to System level without user interaction.

MitigationApply the Android-12L security update (SVE-2022-2022:01-01 or later) containing the fix for CVE-2022-20002 to enforce proper permission validation in the incfs mount path.

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. Verify Android version is 12L (12.1)
    Check the Android build number or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in adb shell. Look for version 12.1 or API level 32.
    Affected if The Android version displays as 12.1 or build/SdkInt returns 32, indicating Android-12L.
  2. Check security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' in adb shell or check Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the January 2022 update (SVE-2022-2022:01-01), meaning the fix has not been applied.
  3. Confirm incfs driver presence
    Check if the incfs kernel module exists by running 'ls -la /sys/fs/incfs' or checking kernel config for CONFIG_INCREMENTAL_FS in /proc/config.gz if available.
    Affected if The incfs filesystem module is present and the /sys/fs/incfs directory exists on the device.
  4. Verify mount capability exposure
    Attempt to observe if unprivileged processes can access mount syscalls related to incfs. Check for incfs mount binary or its presence in /system/bin or vendor partitions.
    Affected if The incfs mount utility or driver is accessible to semi-privileged users without root, allowing them to call mount() on incfs paths.

The device is affected if it runs Android 12.1 (12L), has the incfs driver present, and lacks the January 2022 security patch that enforces proper permission validation for incfs mounts.

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-12L security update (SVE-2022-2022:01-01 or later) containing the fix for CVE-2022-20002 to enforce proper permission validation in the incfs mount path.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 12L with latest Android Security Patch Level (post-March 2022)

  1. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version or Settings > Security > Security patch level
  2. Update your Android device to the latest available system update that includes the latest Android Security Bulletin patch
  3. Verify the device is running Android 12L (API level 32) or later with the latest security patch applied
  4. If your device manufacturer has released a specific update containing the fix for Android ID A-198657657, install that update
Caveat May require carrier update; some older devices may not receive patches

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,280
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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-2022-20002 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data