CVE-2022-20192
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 · uneditedIn grantEmbeddedWindowFocus of WindowManagerService.java, there is a possible way to change an input channel for embedded hierarchy 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-12LAndroid ID: A-215912712
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 confidenceA permissions bypass in the grantEmbeddedWindowFocus function of Android's WindowManagerService allows a local attacker to modify input channels for embedded window hierarchies without proper authorization. This enables local privilege escalation to elevated system privileges without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.
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= 12.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android version on deviceGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADBAffected if Version displays as 12.1 (Android 12L)
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Verify build number contains affected variantCheck Settings > About Phone > Build number, or run 'getprop ro.build.display.id' via ADBAffected if Build matches Android 12L (S2B2 or related 12.1 builds)
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Confirm WindowManagerService is runningRun 'dumpsys window' via ADB to verify WindowManagerService is activeAffected if Service is running and device is on affected Android version
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Check if embedded window focus is accessibleThis requires code review or security testing - verify grantEmbeddedWindowFocus function can be invoked without proper permission checksAffected if Local app can modify input channels for embedded windows without authorization
Device is affected if running Android 12.1 (12L) and an untrusted local application can access embedded window focus functionality without proper permissions in WindowManagerService.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply the Android system security update that includes the fix for A-215912712, which patches the permissions bypass in WindowManagerService.java. Organizations should ensure Android-12L devices receive timely system updates.
Android 12L with July 2022 security patch level or later, or Android 13/14
- 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
- 2. Go to System > System update (or Software update on some devices)
- 3. Check for and install any available system updates
- 4. Ensure the device updates to Android 12L (S) with July 2022 security patch level or later, or upgrade to Android 13 if available for the device
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,192.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20192 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20192 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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