Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessRun unprivileged/malicious app on device
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DeliveryInvoke NFCEE T4T store-rx-buffer path
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ExploitReach code past missing permission check
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ExecutionExecute code in privileged context
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ImpactEscalate local privileges
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires local access to an affected device: the attacker must already be able to run code on the device (e.g. an installed unprivileged or malicious app) to reach the vulnerable NFCEE Type-4-Tag receive-buffer handling in nfa_t4tnfcee_store_rx_buf. The core prerequisite is simply that this code path is reachable despite a missing permission check (CWE-862); the input does not describe any additional configuration toggle or feature that must be enabled. Limiting factors: the vector is local (AV:L), not remote; only Android 17, 16 and 16-qpr2 are listed as affected; and devices patched to the 2026-11-01 security patch level are not vulnerable. No user interaction and no prior privileges are required (UI:N/PR:N), which raises realistic risk once any foothold exists on the device. |
| Impact | Signals are mostly consistent and point to a serious but not emergency-grade issue. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U, C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.4 High) describes a local, low-complexity flaw needing no privileges and no user interaction, with full code-execution impact - an attractive primitive for a local privilege-escalation chain (e.g. after a malicious or compromised app is already on the device). However, the exploitation-likelihood signals are low: EPSS is 0.11% (1st percentile), the CVE is NOT in CISA KEV, and no PoC or exploit reference appears in the input, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week' (not act_now/emergency), matching the low-likelihood/high-impact profile: prioritize in the normal monthly Android patch cycle rather than as an incident. One conflict to note: the input Tags include 'RCE', but the description and CVSS both state LOCAL escalation of privilege (AV:L) - treat this as local EoP, not remote code execution. EPSS being very low despite High severity is expected here because exploitation requires local access, which limits opportunistic/widespread attacks. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged or malicious app already present on an affected Android device drives the NFCEE Type-4-Tag receive-buffer path (nfa_t4tnfcee_store_rx_buf); because a permission check is missing (CWE-862), the app reaches code it should not be able to and achieves code execution in a more-privileged context, with no user interaction. No public exploit code is available, so this is currently a theoretical-to-targeted local escalation primitive rather than a mass-exploited one. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Nov 03, 2026
Local privilege escalation to code execution in Android 16, 16-qpr2 and 17 stems from a missing permission check (CWE-862) in nfa_t4tnfcee_store_rx_buf, part of the NFCEE Type-4-Tag receive-buffer handling in nfa_nfcee_act.cc. An attacker who already has a foothold on the device - an installed unprivileged or malicious app able to reach that NFC code path - can exploit it without any additional execution privileges, and no user interaction is required, yielding high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact as an NFC/Android-system-level component. Exploitation is local (CVSS AV:L, PR:N/UI:N); there is no confirmed active exploitation and no verified public exploit code, and EPSS is very low (0.11%, 1st percentile), so this is a this_week-priority hardening item for devices not yet on the 2026-11-01 Android security patch level.
RemediationAI
Apply the Android 2026-11-01 security patch level or later, which contains the fix for CVE-2026-55261 as published in the vendor bulletin (https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2026/2026-11-01); no separate patch version string beyond that bulletin is provided in the available data. Because the assessed vector is local with PR:N/UI:N, the practical exposure window is set by how long devices remain below that patch level, so prioritize OTA rollout to Android 17, 16 and 16-qpr2 devices and verify the reported patch level after update. Where immediate patching is not possible, reduce the attack surface by restricting installation of untrusted apps and by limiting which apps can exercise NFC/NFCEE functionality on affected devices, accepting that this only narrows the set of callers able to reach the vulnerable path and does not replace the vendor fix. The available sources do not describe a specific vendor workaround beyond updating, and no confirmed active exploitation or verified public exploit code is reported, so remediation can proceed on the normal monthly patch cadence for the affected fleet.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw sits in Android's NFC stack, specifically the NFA (NFC Application) NFCEE (NFC Execution Environment) module. The function nfa_t4tnfcee_store_rx_buf in nfa_nfcee_act.cc stores data received from an NFCEE Type-4-Tag reader/endpoint, and it performs that buffering without an adequate permission check - the CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) root-cause class. Because NFCEE data handling runs in a privileged NFC/system context, an unprivileged local app that can drive the NFCEE Type-4-Tag path may reach code that assumes a trusted caller, giving the caller the component's privileges and enabling code execution in that context. Per the assessed vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) the trigger requires local presence on the device rather than remote reachability, needs no privileges and no user interaction, and the supplied sources do not describe any additional configuration toggle or feature that must be enabled for the path to be reachable; EFI/firmware or specific NFC controller deployments are not detailed in the available data. The CPE (cpe:2.3:a:google:android) matches the Google Android platform, and EUVD lists Android 17, Android 16 and Android 16-qpr2 as affected, with the vendor bulletin of 2026-11-01 as the reference.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
A missing permission check lets an unprivileged local app reach the NFCEE code path (AV:L, PR:N, AC:L, UI:N), yielding code execution with full C/I/A impact in the same scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (google_android).
CVSS VectorVendor: google_android
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
In nfa_t4tnfcee_store_rx_buf of nfa_nfcee_act.cc, there is a possible way to achieve code execution 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.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-55261 is a high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability in Android's NFC component that could allow a malicious app already installed on a device to gain system-level code execution, potentially compromising sensitive data and device integrity. With no patch currently available and a low exploitation likelihood, this represents a medium-term risk that requires proactive hardening, particularly for organizations with large Android device fleets.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting app installations to trusted sources through MDM, implementing app reputation and behavior monitoring, and disabling NFC functionality where not business-critical.
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
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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-2026-115567
GHSA-w5q6-59wv-w58w
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB