Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessInstall unprivileged malicious app
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ExploitInvoke AddAccountSettings confused-deputy path
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ExecutionTrigger background activity launch
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ImpactGain elevated privileges on device
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service Proxy/intermediary controls
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires a locally installed, unprivileged application running on the device (AV:L): the attacker must already execute code on the target, so there is no remote vector. Given that app context, the confused-deputy flaw in AddAccountSettings (run of AddAccountSettings.java) lets the privileged component launch a background activity on the attacker's behalf with no additional permissions and no user interaction, per the description. Limiting factors: the attacker must first get an app installed/running on the device; exploitation is confined to the affected Android versions (14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2, 17); and SSVC rates it non-automatable, so it does not lend itself to scalable mass exploitation. |
| Impact | The signals point to a serious-but-not-emergency local privilege escalation. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.4) describes a local attack requiring no privileges and no user interaction, with total confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the device - consistent with the CWE-441 confused-deputy pattern where a privileged system component (AddAccountSettings) is tricked into launching a background activity on behalf of a lower-privileged caller. The SSVC framework tempers this: Exploitation is 'none' (no observed or public exploitation), Automatable is 'no' (it requires local code execution on the device rather than scalable remote delivery), while Technical Impact is 'total' - matching the high CVSS impact metrics. There is no CISA KEV listing and no EPSS score supplied, and no PoC or exploit reference appears in the input, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week,' which aligns with the SSVC profile: a high-impact local EoP worth prompt patching in Android's monthly cycle but not an active-exploitation emergency. The CVSS AV:L/PR:N combination is internally consistent for Android (a locally installed, unprivileged app is the typical attacker), so no conflict is evident between the vector and the description. The main limiting factor is the local attack vector: the attacker must already run code on the device. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A user installs a malicious or trojanized app that holds no special permissions. The app abuses the confused-deputy flaw in AddAccountSettings to have the privileged Settings component launch a background activity on its behalf, with no user interaction or prompt, escalating the attacker's effective privileges on the device. No public exploit code is identified in the available data. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Nov 02, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Google Android 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2 and 17 lets an unprivileged application already installed and running on the device abuse a confused-deputy flaw in AddAccountSettings.java, causing a privileged component to launch a background activity on the attacker's behalf and yielding high confidentiality and integrity impact with no additional execution privileges and no user interaction. The attack surface is strictly local (AV:L, PR:N, UI:N), so there is no remote vector, and the attacker must first get code running on the target. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; CISA SSVC records exploitation as none and automatable as no, and the issue carries a this-week priority, meaning it should be scheduled into the current patch cycle rather than treated as an emergency.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the Android Security Bulletin 2026-11-01 update (https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2026/2026-11-01) covering platform versions 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2 and 17; the supplied data does not give exact patch levels or build identifiers, so the bulletin itself must be used to confirm the required SPL for each device branch. No alternative mitigations are specified in the available data, and updating to the patched build is the complete fix. Prioritize within the current weekly patch cycle per the this-week decision label, noting that exploitation requires an attacker to already have an unprivileged app installed and running locally, which limits exposure to devices where untrusted application installation is permitted.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause class is CWE-441, confused deputy: a component holding elevated privileges (here the AddAccountSettings flow in AOSP's Settings code, reached via AddAccountSettings.java) performs an action using its own authority on behalf of a caller whose entitlement to that action is not properly established, so a less-privileged local app can induce a privileged background activity launch. Android has progressively restricted background activity starts, and the flaw is a bypass of that boundary rather than a memory-safety bug. The supplied CPE (cpe:2.3:a:google:android) is a generic platform identifier, so it does not narrow the issue to a particular build or vendor fork; the EUVD entry scopes it to Android 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2 and 17. The precise code path and the exact trigger conditions inside AddAccountSettings are not described in the available sources, and the CVSS metrics (AC:L, PR:N, UI:N) describe severity and preconditions only, not the mechanism of the confused-deputy condition itself.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
A locally installed unprivileged app triggers the flaw with no user interaction, so AV:L/PR:N/UI:N; the confused-deputy EoP grants total device compromise, so C/I/A:H and S:U.
Primary rating from Vendor (google_android).
CVSS VectorVendor: google_android
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
In run of AddAccountSettings.java, there is a possible background activity launch 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.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability affects Google Android versions 14 through 17, allowing a malicious app already installed on a device to gain elevated access without user interaction. This puts corporate and BYOD Android devices at risk of data theft or tampering by any installed malicious application, requiring immediate attention to mobile device management and patching strategies.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: enforce MDM policies to block sideloaded apps and restrict installation from unknown sources; implement application allowlisting; monitor for suspicious account activity and privilege escalation attempts; limit the use of apps with high-risk permissions; and educate users on the risks of installing apps from untrusted sources.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
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EUVD-2026-115387
GHSA-m5qr-rgj5-6vjp
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB