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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20201

MEDIUM · 6.7 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 →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 getAppSize of InstalldNativeService.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds 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-220733817

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 an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Android's InstalldNativeService.cpp, specifically in the getAppSize function. The vulnerability stems from a missing bounds check that could allow reading beyond allocated memory boundaries. It requires System execution privileges to exploit and enables local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for CVE-2022-20201 (Android-12L). Organizations should ensure mobile device management policies enforce timely security updates and verify devices are running patched Android versions.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 via adb
    Run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' to retrieve the installed Android version
    Affected if The output is exactly 12.1 (Android-12L)
  2. Verify Android version via Settings
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version on the device and confirm the version number
    Affected if The displayed version is exactly 12.1
  3. Confirm System execution context is present
    Determine if any installed application or process holds System-level execution privileges on the device
    Affected if Applications or processes with System privileges are present and the Android version is 12.1
  4. Identify vulnerable service component
    The vulnerability exists in InstalldNativeService in the getAppSize function within system/installd. This is not directly verifiable without root and source inspection.
    Affected if This is a contextual check: if the device runs Android 12.1, the vulnerable code path is present in the firmware

The device is affected only if it is running Android version 12.1 (Android-12L) and has processes or apps with System execution privileges present.

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 security patch for CVE-2022-20201 (Android-12L). Organizations should ensure mobile device management policies enforce timely security updates and verify devices are running patched Android versions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 or later (which contains the security fix for A-220733817)

  1. 1. Check the current Android version on the device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Verify the device is running Android-12L (Android 12.1)
  3. 3. Check for available system updates by going to Settings > System > Software Update
  4. 4. If an update is available, download and install the latest security patch
  5. 5. If no update is available through OTA, consider upgrading to Android 13 which contains the security fix for this vulnerability
  6. 6. After update, verify the Android version has been updated to confirm remediation
Caveat Upgrading to Android 13 may introduce UI changes and app compatibility considerations; review 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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2022-20201 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