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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2026-0023

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 createSessionInternal of PackageInstallerService.java, there is a possible way for an app to update its ownership due to a missing permission check. 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 · moderate confidence

In Android's PackageInstallerService, the createSessionInternal method lacks a proper permission check, allowing a malicious application to modify its package ownership. This missing validation enables local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-specific Android security patch that adds proper permission validation in PackageInstallerService's createSessionInternal method to verify caller authorization before allowing ownership changes.

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:= 14.0= 15.0= 16.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The installed version is 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 exactly
  2. Verify Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the vendor fix for CVE-2026-0023 (if unknown, treat unpatched systems as vulnerable)
  3. Confirm PackageInstallerService is present
    Check for /system/framework/services.jar or run 'dumpsys package' to verify PackageInstallerService is active on the device
    Affected if The service exists (this is true for all standard Android installations, so this confirms the vulnerable code path is present)

A device is affected if it runs Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and lacks the vendor-specific security patch for CVE-2026-0023.

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-specific Android security patch that adds proper permission validation in PackageInstallerService's createSessionInternal method to verify caller authorization before allowing ownership changes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0 devices should receive the security patch containing the fix via their manufacturer's update channel. The specific patched security patch level will be documented in the Android Security Bulletin.

  1. Monitor the Android Security Bulletin at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin for the specific security patch level that addresses this vulnerability in PackageInstallerService.java
  2. Apply the latest Android security update for your device. Go to Settings > Security > Security update and ensure you have the latest patch installed
  3. For affected Android versions (14.0, 15.0, 16.0), verify your device has received a security patch level that includes the fix for this issue. Check via Settings > About Phone > Android version > Security patch level
  4. If your device manufacturer has not released an update containing this fix, consider upgrading to a newer Android version once a patched release is available for your device model
  5. Review app installations and permissions granted to avoid installing untrusted applications that could potentially exploit this privilege escalation vulnerability
Caveat Security updates typically do not introduce breaking changes to functionality; they are designed to be applied without affecting normal device operation.

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,540
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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-2026-0023 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