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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2026-28577

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-01
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 addWindow of WindowManagerService.java, there is a possible tapjacking issue due to a tapjacking/overlay attack. 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 tapjacking vulnerability exists in the addWindow method of Android's WindowManagerService where malicious overlay windows can intercept or manipulate touch events on legitimate apps without user awareness, allowing local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the official Android security patch for this vulnerability through a system framework update; until then, users should be cautious about granting overlay permissions to unknown applications.

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 version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if Version equals 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 exactly (not a later patch level)
  2. Verify SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission status
    Go to Settings > Apps > Special app access > Display over other apps, or run 'adb shell appops get SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW' to see which apps have overlay permission
    Affected if Any non-system application has been granted the ability to draw over other apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW)
  3. Check for malicious overlay-capable apps
    Review the list of apps with overlay permission for unknown or suspicious applications, or use a mobile security tool to audit app permissions
    Affected if An untrusted or unknown application holds the overlay permission and could exploit the vulnerable WindowManagerService.addWindow() function

A device is affected if it runs Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and any untrusted application has been granted the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (overlay) permission, allowing potential tapjacking via the vulnerable addWindow function in WindowManagerService.

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 official Android security patch for this vulnerability through a system framework update; until then, users should be cautious about granting overlay permissions to unknown applications.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available Android security patch level (typically the most recent Android release with corresponding security patches)

  1. 1. Go to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > System Update)
  2. 2. Check for and install any available Android security updates
  3. 3. If no update is available, check with your device manufacturer for the latest security patch
  4. 4. Verify the security patch level at Settings > About Phone > Android Security Patch Level shows a date after the fix was released
  5. 5. As a mitigation, review app permissions in Settings > Apps > Permissions and revoke 'Display over other apps' permission from untrusted applications
Caveat Security updates generally have minimal breaking changes; however, some older apps may not be compatible with newer Android versions

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2026-28577 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