Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessInstall/run unprivileged app on device
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DeliveryInvoke fpc_tee_hal.c fingerprint HAL interface
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free via crafted call sequence
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ExecutionReclaim freed object with controlled data
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PersistExecute code in elevated context
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ImpactLocal privilege escalation
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Protection mechanism completeness
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| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already have local code execution on the device - i.e., a malicious or compromised app running on an affected Android/Pixel device that can reach the fingerprint TEE HAL (fpc_tee_hal.c) interface. No user interaction and no additional execution privileges are required (PR:N/UI:N), which makes it usable by any unprivileged app, but the AV:L constraint means it cannot be triggered remotely and is only a post-foothold escalation step. Limiting factors: affected device must ship the Fingerprint Cards TEE HAL, must be unpatched relative to the 2026-09-01 Pixel/Android security patch level, and the attacker must win the use-after-free race/grooming to achieve reliable escalation. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but moderate-priority local privilege escalation. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms it is locally exploitable with low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction - meaning any unprivileged app already running on the device can trigger it, which is the meaningful part of the 8.4 score. However, the C:H/I:H/A:H impact triad is Google's generous boilerplate; a use-after-free in a fingerprint TEE HAL more realistically yields code execution in a specific service context rather than full triad compromise. Exploitation signals argue AGAINST elevated urgency: EPSS is 0.12% (2nd percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC. No SSVC decision data was provided. The AV:L network-vector limitation is the dominant risk-reducer - this is not remotely reachable and requires prior local code execution, so it is a chained/post-compromise escalation primitive rather than an initial-access threat. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A malicious or compromised low-privilege app installed on an affected Android/Pixel device invokes the fingerprint TEE HAL (fpc_tee_hal.c) in a crafted sequence that triggers the use-after-free logic error. By grooming the freed allocation, the attacker gains code execution in a higher-privileged context, escalating privileges without any user interaction. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv2 – Sep 16, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Google Android's fingerprint TEE HAL allows an unprivileged app already running on an affected Pixel/Android device to trigger a use-after-free in fpc_tee_hal.c and gain elevated code execution. Exploitation requires local code execution as a prerequisite, no user interaction, and no additional execution privileges; it is not remotely triggerable. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS is 0.12% (2nd percentile), indicating low predicted exploitation activity despite the 8.4 CVSS score. Devices are affected if they include the Fingerprint Cards TEE HAL and have not been updated to the 2026-09-01 Android/Pixel security patch level.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
A local use-after-free in the Fingerprint Cards (fpc) TEE fingerprint HAL (fpc_tee_hal.c) on Android allows an attacker who can already run an unprivileged process or app on a vulnerable device to escalate to full privileges, with no user interaction required. The flaw is reachable only on hardware that ships FPC fingerprint sensors and whose vendor firmware exposes the affected HAL, so devices using other fingerprint vendors are out of scope. Per the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, 7.8 High) the precondition is a local foothold rather than remote reachability; no public exploit code is identified in the available data, and EPSS is low at 0.12% (2nd percentile), making this primarily a post-compromise/on-device privilege-escalation primitive rather than a mass-exploitation threat.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: the 2026-09-01 Android/Pixel security patch level, available via https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/pixel/2026/2026-09-01. Device administrators and users should apply the September 2026 Android/Pixel security update as soon as it is available for their model. Because the issue is a local privilege escalation in the fingerprint TEE HAL, no remote network mitigation applies; compensating controls include restricting installation of untrusted or sideloaded apps, enforcing Google Play Protect, and using managed device policies to limit which apps can run and interact with biometric HAL services. These controls reduce the attack surface but do not eliminate the vulnerability, and disabling the fingerprint HAL entirely would break biometric authentication, so patching remains the primary remedy. No public exploit code has been identified, and EPSS is low, but the 8.4 CVSS score warrants prioritizing the update on devices that handle sensitive data.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw resides in fpc_tee_hal.c, the HAL interface for Fingerprint Cards' fingerprint trusted execution environment (TEE) on Android. A logic error in multiple functions leads to a use-after-free memory corruption condition in the TEE HAL, which can be abused by a local malicious app that can reach the fingerprint HAL interface. The provided CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) frames the issue as a failure of an expected security control, while the concrete bug class is memory-safety related (use-after-free). The CVSS:3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the same security scope. CPE cpe:2.3:a:google:android:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies Google Android as the affected platform; EUVD lists Android and the Android kernel as affected versions. Exploitation is a post-foothold escalation step that requires an attacker to already have local code execution on the device and to win the use-after-free race/grooming for reliable escalation.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local unprivileged app triggers a UAF with no user interaction; a memory-corruption EoP into a privileged HAL context plausibly supports full C/I/A impact, so I retain the vendor triad.
Primary rating from Vendor (Google_Devices).
CVSS VectorVendor: Google_Devices
Lifecycle Timeline
5DescriptionCVE.org
In multiple functions of fpc_tee_hal.c, there is a possible use-after-free 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.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity privilege-escalation flaw in Google Android's fingerprint trusted-execution-environment (TEE) HAL affects Pixel and other Android devices that use the Fingerprint Cards TEE HAL and have not reached the 2026-09-01 security patch level. Because an attacker must already have an app running on the device, the practical exposure is concentrated in mobile fleets that permit sideloading, personal app stores, or unmanaged BYOD enrollment, where a user-installed app could elevate into a security-critical component that underpins biometric handling, key storage, and device attestation. Leadership should care because this undermines the trust assumptions of the corporate mobile estate, yet no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and predicted exploitation activity is low (EPSS 0.1%), making this a managed remediation rather than a crisis response.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; interim mitigations include restricting app installation to managed Google Play with an approved allowlist, disabling sideloading and unknown sources via Android Enterprise/MDM, enforcing Google Play Protect and regular on-device scanning, removing or quarantining unapproved third-party apps on in-scope devices, applying compliance gating so devices below the required patch level cannot access corporate email or data, and prioritizing device replacement for models that cannot reach the 2026-09-01 patch level. This is a local, non-remote issue that requires an app already executing on the device, so reducing the attack surface for untrusted local code is the primary interim control.
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-2026-78968
GHSA-v69p-m2gh-8c87
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB