dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20138

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 ACTION_MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED of DevicePolicyManagerService.java, there is a possible way for unprivileged app to send MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED intent due to a missing permission check. 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-12LAndroid ID: A-210469972

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 DevicePolicyManagerService.java, the ACTION_MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED intent handler lacks a permission check, allowing any unprivileged app to send this normally system-protected intent. This enables local privilege escalation as a malicious app can trigger managed profile provisioning actions that should require system-level privileges.

MitigationApply a permission check (e.g., enforce CHECK_MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONING or equivalent) in the MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED intent handling code within DevicePolicyManagerService to restrict this action to authorized system components only.

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. Identify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The version reads 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, or 12.1 exactly (not a later security patch level)
  2. Verify build date or security patch level
    Check Settings > About Phone > Build number, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the August 2022 Android Security Bulletin for your Android version line
  3. Confirm Device Policy Manager availability
    Check if the device supports managed profiles by going to Settings > Accounts > Work profile, or check if 'android.app.action.PROVISION_MANAGED_PROFILE' intent is supported
    Affected if Work profile / managed profile functionality is present on the device (the vulnerability only matters on devices with this feature)
  4. Check for installed management apps
    Review Settings > Apps > All apps for any suspicious or unknown device policy controller applications, or run 'dumpsys device_policy' via ADB to list active device owners
    Affected if Any untrusted or unknown app has obtained device owner or profile owner privileges

You are affected if your device runs Android 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, or 12.1 without the August 2022 security update and has managed profile functionality enabled.

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 a permission check (e.g., enforce CHECK_MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONING or equivalent) in the MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED intent handling code within DevicePolicyManagerService to restrict this action to authorized system components only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 (API 33) or June 2022 Security Patch Level

  1. Upgrade to a device running Android 13 (API 33) or later, which includes the fix for this vulnerability
  2. If upgrading to Android 13 is not possible, ensure the device has the June 2022 Android Security Patch Level or later installed
  3. Verify the installed patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version or Settings > Security > Security update
Caveat Upgrading to Android 13 may introduce breaking changes for apps targeting older API levels; verify app compatibility before upgrading

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,860
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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-2022-20138 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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