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Android Settings EUVDEUVD-2026-92628

| CVE-2026-28641 HIGH
Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269)
2026-10-05 google_android GHSA-qm83-c37p-5wx5
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: google_android
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain low-privileged local app context
  2. Delivery
    Invoke flawed shouldDisableUninstallButton logic
  3. Exploit
    Bypass permission enforcement check
  4. Execution
    Perform privileged uninstall/management action
  5. Impact
    Escalate to higher privileges locally

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement
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 an attacker to already possess local, low-privileged execution on the device (PR:L) - for example a malicious or compromised app running in a standard app sandbox - so this is not remotely reachable and not exploitable by an unauthenticated network attacker. The specific trigger is reaching the shouldDisableUninstallButton logic in ApplicationActionButtonsPreferenceController (the Settings application-management UI/controller), where a logic error causes a permission check to be bypassed. No user interaction is required (UI:N), which removes a common limiting factor. Limiting factors that reduce realistic risk: the mandatory pre-existing local foothold, the confinement of affected versions to Android 14, 15, and 16-qpr2, and that the referenced advisory is the Android Automotive OS bulletin, which may narrow the practically affected deployment surface.

Impact

This is a credible, actionable local privilege-escalation issue but not an emergency. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 7.8) indicates an attacker must already have local, low-privileged code execution on the device (PR:L) but then needs no user interaction and faces low complexity to achieve total compromise of confidentiality, integrity and availability within the component scope. Multiple lower-urgency signals align and reinforce each other: SSVC from CISA reports Exploitation: none, Automatable: no, and Technical Impact: total - meaning high per-device impact but no evidence of weaponization and no scalable mass-exploitation path, which is consistent with a local-only vector. There is no CISA KEV listing and no public POC, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' No EPSS score was provided in the input, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified here. The signals are mutually consistent (high impact, local access, not automatable, no known exploitation) rather than conflicting, so this reads as a genuine patch-worthy privilege-escalation bug rather than an inflated high-CVSS/low-real-risk finding - but its priority is bounded by the local-access prerequisite, meaning it is realistically a second-stage escalation primitive rather than an initial-access vulnerability.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A malicious or compromised low-privileged app already installed on an Android device invokes the vulnerable uninstall-button logic path in the Settings component, abusing the flawed shouldDisableUninstallButton permission check to perform an action it should not be permitted to. Because no user interaction is required, this happens silently to elevate privileges locally. No public exploit code has been identified at the time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 06, 2026

Local privilege escalation in the Android Settings application (the ApplicationActionButtonsPreferenceController handling app-uninstall controls) allows an attacker who already holds a low-privileged local foothold - such as a malicious or compromised app running in the standard app sandbox - to bypass a permission check and perform actions that should require elevated privileges, with no user interaction required. Affected versions are Android 14, 15, and 16-qpr2, as addressed by the October 2026 Android (Automotive OS) security bulletin; the exploit is only reachable locally (AV:L, PR:L, UI:N) and no public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis. The issue is a logic error in the shouldDisableUninstallButton routine rather than a memory-safety defect, and CISA SSVC rates exploitation as 'none' with 'no' automatable and total technical impact if successfully triggered.

RemediationAI

Patch status: patch available per vendor advisory - apply the October 2026 Android (Automotive OS) security bulletin updates at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/aaos/2026/2026-10-01, which is the authoritative source for the exact patched build identifiers and patch levels covering Android 14, 15, and 16-qpr2; no standalone fix version string is published in the CVE data, so rely on the bulletin's build/SPL tables rather than assuming a version number. Because exploitation requires a pre-existing local low-privileged foothold, the most effective compensating controls target the initial access vector and exposure: restrict sideloading and enforce Google Play Protect / verified-boot and app-source policies so a hostile app cannot be planted, and use managed-device controls (Android Enterprise work profiles, block installation from unknown sources) to shrink the population of apps that could trigger the Settings controller - the trade-off is reduced flexibility for power users and internal app distribution. Where uninstall/administrative Settings flows are not needed on a device, restrict those functions via device-owner policy, accepting the loss of end-user self-service. Note that this is a local-only (AV:L) issue not reachable over the network, so network segmentation, firewall rules, and remote-access hardening do not mitigate it; the practical priority is timely patch deployment combined with tightening of local app-installation privileges. Monitor the Android security bulletin page for retroactive additions to the bulletin's affected-version list.

Affected VersionsENISA

Android 14
Android 15
Android 16-qpr2

Affects your stack

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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 ApplicationActionButtonsPreferenceController.java, part of the Android Settings application's app-management UI layer, specifically the shouldDisableUninstallButton() method that decides whether the uninstall control for an application should be greyed out. The root cause is classified as CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management): a logic error in that decision routine causes an authorization/permission check to be evaluated incorrectly, so a caller that should be denied can reach an uninstall-related action. Because this is a framework-visible controller in the Settings process (which runs with elevated system privileges), the bypass yields a local escalation of privilege rather than mere UI inconsistency. The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms the attacker must already have local low-privileged execution, needs no user interaction, and can achieve high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact within the same security scope. Per the CPE entry (cpe:2.3:a:google:android:*), the affected platform is Google Android, with EUVD scoping the impacted releases to Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16-qpr2; the referenced advisory is the Android Automotive OS bulletin, which may constrain the practically affected deployment surface to AAOS-based builds.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (google_android) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local app-context prerequisite gives AV:L and PR:L; the logic-error bypass is deterministic (AC:L), needs no user interaction (UI:N), and yields total device compromise (C/I/A:H).

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (google_android).

CVSS VectorVendor: google_android

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Oct 06, 2026 - 14:22 NVD
7.8 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Oct 05, 2026 - 18:39 cve.org
HIGH 7.8
CVE Published
Oct 05, 2026 - 18:39 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

In shouldDisableUninstallButton of ApplicationActionButtonsPreferenceController.java, there is a possible permission bypass 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

Why It Matters

A high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Android Settings application affects Android 14, 15, and 16-qpr2 devices, including Android Automotive OS, allowing a malicious app already present on a device to bypass permission checks and perform privileged actions without user interaction. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but a successful attack could enable an adversary to uninstall security-critical applications or modify system settings, undermining device integrity and potentially exposing organizational data. Leadership should prioritize mitigation because this flaw impacts a widely deployed mobile platform and requires only a low-privileged local foothold to exploit.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Enforce strict app installation allowlisting, enable Google Play Protect or mobile threat defense (MTD), block sideloading, restrict low-privileged apps from performing privileged actions via MDM policies, monitor for anomalous privileged behavior, and apply the October 2026 Android Automotive OS security bulletin as soon as it is released.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
Google Android is a dominant mobile/embedded OS deployed on billions of devices
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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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