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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2026-0035

HIGH · 8.4 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 →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges 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 createRequest of MediaProvider.java, there is a possible way for an app to gain read/write access to non-existing files due to a logic error in the code. 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

A logic error in the createRequest method of MediaProvider.java allows a malicious application to gain read/write access to non-existent files. This local privilege escalation vulnerability requires no additional execution privileges or user interaction to exploit.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch to MediaProvider.java that corrects the file existence validation logic in the createRequest method to deny access to non-existing files.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check Android 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 - these versions contain the logic error in MediaProvider.java's createRequest method
  2. Verify MediaProvider service status
    Run 'dumpsys media.provider' via ADB shell to confirm MediaProvider is active and note its current configuration
    Affected if MediaProvider is actively running and serving requests - the logic error affects how it grants permissions to non-existing files during request creation
  3. Audit installed apps for suspicious file access behavior
    Use 'dumpsys activity service MediaProvider' via ADB to observe which apps are interacting with MediaProvider, or review security logs for apps attempting to create/modify files in restricted directories
    Affected if A malicious app is leveraging MediaProvider to gain read/write permissions on non-existing files without user interaction - look for unusual file creation patterns in sandboxed directories
  4. Review app permission grants
    Check which apps have 'android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES', 'android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO', or similar media permissions via 'dumpsys package' via ADB
    Affected if Apps with elevated media permissions are present and could potentially exploit the privilege escalation - the flaw allows a malicious app to bypass normal permission checks

If the device runs Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and has apps that interact with MediaProvider for file access, the environment is potentially affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 patch to MediaProvider.java that corrects the file existence validation logic in the createRequest method to deny access to non-existing files.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android security patch level (check Android Security Bulletin for specific release containing the fix)

  1. 1. Check your device's current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Check for system updates in Settings > System > Software Update or Settings > About Phone > Software Update
  3. 3. Apply the latest available Android security update, which will include the fix for this vulnerability in MediaProvider
  4. 4. Verify the security patch level has been updated after installation
Caveat Security updates are generally backwards-compatible; ensure you backup device data before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2026-0035 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