Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessInstall malicious overlay app on target device
-
DeliveryTrigger InstallLaunch activity onCreate
-
ExploitPosition deceptive UI layer over install prompt
-
ExecutionManipulate perceived UI to obtain implicit user approval
-
ImpactEscalate privileges of attacker-controlled package
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V3 - Web Frontend Security Redirect URL validation
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a malicious application already installed on the target Android 16-QPR2 device with standard user-level privileges (CVSS PR:L). The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning remote delivery is not possible - the adversary must first convince the victim to install the malicious APK via sideloading, phishing, or third-party app store. The vulnerability triggers in the |
| Impact | The CVSS 7.8 score (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately captures the local attack boundary and low-privilege requirement - exploitation requires only that the adversary's app is installed on the target device, with no special configuration needed. The SSVC rating of Technical Impact: total is consistent with the C:H/I:H/A:H triad and represents the worst-case outcome if a malicious app successfully hijacks the installer flow. The stated UI:N is notable and somewhat atypical for tapjacking, which ordinarily involves deceiving a user into tapping a UI element (suggesting UI:R); this inconsistency should be verified against the upstream Android Security Bulletin, as it may indicate the overlay manipulates the installer automatically without requiring any victim touch. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in zabrze managing a mixed Android fleet can reasonably defer emergency patching in favour of the standard monthly security bulletin cycle, given the EPSS score of 0.11% (2nd percentile) and SSVC Exploitation: none - no observed exploitation infrastructure exists at this time. The combination of local delivery requirement (AV:L) and Automatable: no in SSVC further depresses realistic threat priority relative to the raw CVSS score. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker distributes a malicious Android application, delivered via social engineering or a third-party app store, that is installed on a target device running Android 16-QPR2. When the package installer activity ( |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 10, 2026
Tapjacking and UI overlay exploitation in Android 16-QPR2's InstallLaunch.kt onCreate method allows a locally-installed malicious application to present a deceptive interface over the package installation workflow, leading to local privilege escalation with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Fixed in Google's September 2026 Android Security Bulletin, the flaw requires no additional execution privileges and - per the CVSS vector - no user interaction beyond what occurs during the overlay setup phase. No public exploit code and no active exploitation have been identified at time of analysis; EPSS sits at 0.11% (2nd percentile).
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: Android 16-QPR2 (patch level 2026-09-01), distributed via the September 2026 Android Security Bulletin at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2026/2026-09-01. Device administrators and users should apply the monthly security patch level 2026-09-01 or later when it becomes available for their device from their OEM or carrier. As a compensating control prior to patching, restricting sideloading of applications from unknown sources ('Install unknown apps' setting) reduces the attack surface, since the malicious overlay app must first be installed on the device. This control has a usability trade-off for enterprise environments that rely on enterprise app distribution outside of Google Play. No workaround fully eliminates the risk if the malicious app is already installed.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affects your stack
Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability resides in InstallLaunch.kt, the Kotlin activity responsible for initiating the Android package installation flow. When onCreate is called, insufficient restrictions on rendered UI layers allow a malicious application to position an overlay window over the installer prompt, a class of attack commonly known as tapjacking (CWE-1021, Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames). The NVD-assigned CWE-601 (Open Redirect) is incorrect for this attack class and does not describe the root cause. Affected scope is narrowly Android 16-QPR2, per the EUVD affected-versions field. The Android window permission system and the missing FLAG_SECURE or touch-filter enforcement on the installer activity are the underlying technical mechanisms being abused. The CVSS local attack vector (AV:L) confirms the attack is bounded to the device.
Know when Android gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local attack bounded to installed app (AV:L, PR:L); UI:N accepted per description though atypical for overlay attacks; full impact triad retained.
Primary rating from Vendor (android).
CVSS VectorVendor: android
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
In onCreate of InstallLaunch.kt, there is a possible misleading UI 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.
Executive ViewAI
Android 16-QPR2 devices face a local privilege escalation vulnerability in package installation workflows that enables installed malicious applications to conduct tapjacking attacks and gain system-level access. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, though successful attacks could compromise the entire device and access all sensitive data. Immediate patching is critical to prevent breach of corporate and personal information.
Patch available per Google's September 2026 Android Security Bulletin.
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.
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.292 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.160 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.466
Integer underflow in the MPEG4Extractor::parseChunk function in MPEG4Extractor.cpp in libstagefright in mediaserver in A
Android 3.0 through 4.1.x on Disney Mobile, eAccess, KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, SoftBank, and other devices does not properly imp
Integer overflow in the SampleTable::setSampleToChunkParams function in SampleTable.cpp in libstagefright in Android bef
Apktool versions 2.9.1 and prior contain a path traversal vulnerability when processing Android APK files. Malicious APK
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Android system (art). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability
The AES-NI implementation in OpenSSL before 1.0.1t and 1.0.2 before 1.0.2h does not consider memory allocation during a
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.292 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.160 on Windows
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.292 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.160 on Windows
Android 1.6 Donut through 4.2 Jelly Bean does not properly check cryptographic signatures for applications, which allows
luni/src/main/java/java/io/ObjectInputStream.java in the java.io.ObjectInputStream implementation in Android before 5.0.
The Broadcom Wi-Fi driver in the kernel in Android 4.x before 4.4.4, 5.x before 5.1.1 LMY49G, and 6.x before 2016-02-01
EUVD-2026-73945
GHSA-vp8j-fq8w-qwpr
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB