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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20442

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 onCreate of ReviewPermissionsActivity.java, there is a possible way to grant permissions for a separate app with API level < 23 due to a tapjacking/overlay attack. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12LAndroid ID: A-176094367

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 tapjacking vulnerability in ReviewPermissionsActivity.java allows a malicious app to overlay its UI on top of the permission review screen, tricking users into granting dangerous permissions (API level < 23). The attacker exploits the lack of proper protection against overlay attacks during the permission grant process.

MitigationApply Android system updates (Android 10-12L) to receive the framework patch. Avoid granting unknown apps overlay permissions (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW) and review installed apps for suspicious overlay permissions.

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

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or use 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB)
    Affected if Version is 10, 11, or 12 (including 12L)
  2. Verify security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level (or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB)
    Affected if Patch level is earlier than November 2022 (the fix was released in the November 2022 security update)
  3. Confirm API level of apps with overlay permission
    Use ADB command 'dumpsys package <package_name>' to check targetSdkVersion for any app granted SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission
    Affected if Any app with SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW targets API level below 23 (pre-Marshmallow) and runs on Android 10-12 without November 2022 patch

Device is affected if running Android 10, 11, or 12 with a security patch level before November 2022.

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 Android system updates (Android 10-12L) to receive the framework patch. Avoid granting unknown apps overlay permissions (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW) and review installed apps for suspicious overlay permissions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 (or device October 2022 security patch level or higher)

  1. Apply the October 2022 Android Security Update or later to your device. This patch addresses the tapjacking/overlay vulnerability in ReviewPermissionsActivity.java that allowed permission granting for apps targeting API level < 23.
  2. Verify your device has the latest security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level. Ensure the date is October 2022 or newer.
  3. If your device manufacturer has not released this security update, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular security updates, or upgrade to Android 13 which includes the fix.
  4. For enterprise or organization-managed devices, use Mobile Device Management (MDM) to enforce security policies and ensure compliance with the latest security updates.
Caveat Upgrading to Android 13 may introduce UI changes and may not be available for all devices. Some apps targeting API level < 23 may need to be updated by their developers.

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2022-20442 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
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