Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain local code execution as System
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DeliveryLocate vulnerable kernel interface
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ExploitTrigger TOCTOU race with concurrent thread
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InstallWin timing window between check and use
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C2Corrupt kernel state / gain write primitive
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ExecuteEscalate to kernel/root privileges
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ImpactFull device compromise
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Concurrency control, locking
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 execution on the target Android device with code already running in the System privilege context (CVSS PR:H), plus the ability to invoke the affected kernel interface and spawn or control a concurrent thread to race the check window; the vulnerability sits in kernel components shared across multiple code locations, so the precise callable interface must be confirmed from the corresponding AOSP kernel patch rather than assumed from the bulletin. User interaction is explicitly not required (UI:N), and the vector is local (AV:L), so network reachability is not a factor. Factors that LIMIT exploitation: the attacker must already hold System-level privileges, meaning this is an escalation primitive and not an initial-access bug; race conditions are timing-sensitive and typically require repeated attempts, retries, or device-specific tuning, which reduces reliability in practice; and only builds prior to the September 2026 patch level with the affected kernel component remain vulnerable. Devices already updated, or where no System-privilege foothold exists, are not exploitable by this issue alone. |
| Impact | CVSS 6.7 with AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H describes a local, low-complexity attack that requires the attacker to already hold System-level privileges, but which then yields high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact - a post-exploitation escalation rather than an initial access vector. The PR:H metric is the key limiter: this is not reachable by an ordinary unprivileged app and cannot be triggered over the network, so mass internet-scale exploitation is not plausible. EPSS data was not provided, no public exploit code has been identified, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, so the signals point to a targeted, chained-exploitation concern (malware or a second-stage payload that already runs as System seeking kernel/root) rather than an urgent patch-everything emergency; even a mid-sized municipal IT team in kalisz should treat this as urgent only on devices where untrusted code can already obtain System context. Note the mild tension between the AC:L rating and the inherently timing-dependent nature of a race condition - experimental race exploits frequently need retries, so the real-world reliability may be lower than the vector suggests and should be verified against vendor testing. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already achieved code execution as the System user - for example through a chained second-stage payload delivered by a malicious app or an exploited preinstalled component - invokes the vulnerable kernel interface repeatedly and races a concurrent thread to mutate the resource between its check and its use. Winning the timing window corrupts kernel state and yields a write primitive that is used to overwrite privileged kernel data and gain root/kernel privileges. No user interaction is required, and no public exploit code has been identified at the time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 15, 2026
A time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in multiple locations of the Android kernel allows an attacker who already holds System-level execution privileges on a device to win a timing window and escalate to higher (kernel/root) privileges, with no user interaction required. The flaw is rated CVSS 6.7 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N) and is fixed through the September 2026 Android Security Bulletin for Pixel devices. At the time of analysis there is no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit code identified, and no EPSS score was supplied, so the practical risk is concentrated in post-compromise privilege escalation rather than remote mass exploitation.
RemediationAI
Apply the September 2026 Android Security Bulletin update for Pixel devices, referenced at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/pixel/2026/2026-09-01, and verify the device reports the September 2026 (or later) security patch level; non-Pixel OEMs should be tracked for their equivalent kernel builds since no standalone fix version is published in the supplied data. Where patching cannot be applied immediately, the practical compensating control is to prevent an attacker from ever reaching the required System-privilege foothold: restrict sideloading and untrusted app installs, remove or tightly scope any preinstalled app holding System-level permissions, and use MDM policy to enforce app allowlisting. Trade-offs are real - app allowlisting and disabling sideloading break legitimate developer workflows and some enterprise tooling, and no configuration change actually removes the kernel race itself, so these measures only reduce the likelihood of the prerequisite privilege state. Because the attack vector is local, physical access controls and device encryption remain relevant but do not mitigate an already-present System-level compromise.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a classic CWE-362 concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization, specifically a time-of-check to time-of-use pattern. In a TOCTOU flaw, the kernel validates a resource (a pointer, file descriptor, refcount, or buffer) at one moment, but the resource can be mutated by another thread or process before the checked value is actually used, so the code operates on stale or attacker-influenced state. The advisory states the bug exists in 'multiple locations', implying several kernel subsystems share the same unsynchronized pattern rather than a single faulty function. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:google:android:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* with a wildcard version range indicates the impact spans a broad set of Android builds, with EUVD describing the component as 'Android kernel'. Fixes for this class of defect are delivered as kernel patches in the monthly Android/Pixel security bulletin, meaning remediation depends on the device vendor shipping the updated kernel image.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local kernel race requiring pre-existing System privileges, so PR:H and AV:L, with timing-sensitive exploitation raising AC to H; full C/I/A impact to the kernel.
Primary rating from Vendor (Google_Devices).
CVSS VectorVendor: Google_Devices
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
In multiple locations, there is a possible time-of-check to time-of-use due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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.
Race conditions occur when multiple concurrent requests exploit the brief time gap between checking a condition and acting upon it (TOCTOU - Time of Check, Time of Use).
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-2026-79006
GHSA-wg7w-8cf6-vvpm
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB