CVE-2026-0021
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 hasInteractAcrossUsersFullPermission of AppInfoBase.java, there is a possible cross-user permission bypass due to a confused deputy. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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 confidenceThis is a cross-user permission bypass vulnerability in Android's AppInfoBase.java, specifically in the hasInteractAcrossUsersFullPermission method. Due to a confused deputy issue, an unprivileged attacker can bypass cross-user permission checks to achieve local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.
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= 14.0= 15.0= 16.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 your Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or Settings > System > Software Updates > Android version on some devices). Record the exact version number shown.Affected if The version is exactly 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0
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Identify your Android build numberIn Settings > About Phone, locate the Build number field. Note the full build string (for example, UP1A.231005.007 or similar).Affected if The build does not contain the January 2026 or later security patch level for CVE-2026-0021 (patch dates are typically shown in Settings > Security > Security update or Settings > System > Security & privacy > Security update)
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Verify the AppInfoBase component presenceThis check is informational. The vulnerable component (hasInteractAcrossUsersFullPermission in AppInfoBase.java) is part of the Android framework on all devices running affected versions. No direct user-accessible check exists for this specific method.Affected if N/A - this confirms the vulnerable code path exists on affected Android versions
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Confirm security patch levelCheck Settings > Security > Security update to see the 'Android security patch level' date. Compare this to the CVE publication date.Affected if The installed security patch level is dated before the CVE-2026-0021 fix was released (the fix requires a platform-level update from your manufacturer)
You are affected if your device runs Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and has not received the specific security patch addressing CVE-2026-0021.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Android security patch (CVE-2026-0021) from your device manufacturer or carrier. This is a platform-level vulnerability requiring a system-level update rather than an application-level fix.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-0021 — 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-2026-0021 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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