dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20124

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-15
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 deletePackageX of DeletePackageHelper.java, there is a possible way for a Guest user to reset pre-loaded applications for other users due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-170646036

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 permissions bypass in DeletePackageHelper.java on Android allows a Guest user to reset pre-loaded applications for other users. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring no user interaction, affecting Android 10-13.

MitigationApply the Google security patch for Android (A-170646036) which fixes the permission check in DeletePackageHelper.java to properly restrict Guest users from modifying other users' applications.

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:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0= 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 Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or go to Settings > About Phone to see the Android version
    Affected if Version is 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, or 12.1 (including any security patch levels within these major versions)
  2. Check if multiple users are configured
    Run 'pm list users' command or go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users (availability varies by device)
    Affected if More than one user account exists on the device, particularly including a Guest account
  3. Check if Guest user is available
    Run 'pm list users' to see user types, or check user settings UI for Guest user option
    Affected if A Guest user profile is present or can be created on the device
  4. Verify device has not received the security patch
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to see the security patch date; compare to the fix date for A-170646036
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the fix for CVE-2022-20124 (the patch was released in Google Android security bulletins)

A device is likely affected if it runs Android 10, 11, 12.0, or 12.1, has multiple users configured including a Guest user, and has not received the Google security patch that fixes the permission check in DeletePackageHelper.java.

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 Google security patch for Android (A-170646036) which fixes the permission check in DeletePackageHelper.java to properly restrict Guest users from modifying other users' applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 (latest stable release) or at minimum the July 2022 Android Security Patch Level

  1. 1. Go to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Navigate to System > System Update (or Settings > About Phone > System Update)
  3. 3. Check for available updates and install the latest Android security patch
  4. 4. Ensure the device is updated to at least the July 2022 security patch level or later
  5. 5. After update, verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version > Security patch level
Caveat Standard Android upgrade considerations apply - review app compatibility after updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2022-20124 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