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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20196

MEDIUM · 5.0 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 →
50/100
Remediation priority · Moderate

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 gallery3d and photos, there is a possible permission bypass due to a confused deputy. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12LAndroid ID: A-201535148

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

This is a permission bypass vulnerability in Android's gallery3d and photos applications where a confused deputy attack allows local information disclosure without additional execution privileges, though user interaction is required for exploitation. The vulnerability exists in Android-12L and involves improper permission handling that could allow unauthorized access to local data.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied Android security patch for Android-12L (Android ID A-201535148) which should include proper permission validation fixes in the gallery3d and photos components to prevent confused deputy attacks.

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 Android version is 12.1 (12L)
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' via command line
    Affected if Android version is listed as 12.1 or 12L - this is the only affected version per the CVE specification
  2. Check Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'
    Affected if Security patch level is earlier than the June 2022 Android security update (the patch that addresses A-201535148)
  3. Verify gallery3d or photos applications are installed
    Run 'adb shell pm list packages | grep -E "gallery3d|photos"' or check app list in Settings > Apps
    Affected if Either com.android.gallery3d or com.google.android.apps.photos package is installed - these are the vulnerable components
  4. Confirm app has access to sensitive data or permissions
    Review app permissions for gallery3d/photos in Settings > Apps > [App] > Permissions, checking for storage, media, or contacts access
    Affected if The vulnerable app has been granted storage or media permissions that could be exploited in a confused deputy attack for information disclosure

You are affected if running Android 12.1 (12L) with a security patch level before June 2022 AND have the gallery3d or photos app installed with storage permissions - user interaction is required for the confused deputy attack to succeed.

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 vendor-supplied Android security patch for Android-12L (Android ID A-201535148) which should include proper permission validation fixes in the gallery3d and photos components to prevent confused deputy attacks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 or later, or apply the security patch that includes the fix for A-201535148

  1. Apply the latest Android security patch update for your device. Go to Settings > Security > Security update and install any available updates.
  2. If no update is available, contact your device manufacturer for the latest Android-12L security patch that addresses CVE-2022-20196.
  3. Alternatively, consider upgrading to a newer Android version (Android 13 or later) if your device is supported, as these versions include the security fixes.
Caveat Upgrading to Android 13 may have app compatibility issues; ensure critical apps are compatible before upgrading

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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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-2022-20196 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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