Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2014-7921 is an Android mediaserver privilege-escalation flaw affecting Android 4.0.3 through 5.x before 5.1. A successful attacker could gain higher privileges on a vulnerable device. Business urgency is mainly for fleets that still contain legacy Android devices or embedded Android builds based on these versions.
Executive priority
Prioritize this if legacy Android devices are still used in production, kiosks, scanners, or embedded systems. The main risk is privilege gain on an already vulnerable device, with limited source detail and no cited active exploitation.
Technical view
The CVE record describes a mediaserver vulnerability in Android 4.0.3 through 5.x before 5.1 that allows privilege gain. The provided Android source reference indicates a frameworks/av code change, but the bundle does not include CVSS, CWE, exploit prerequisites, or detailed vendor advisory text.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Android devices or custom/embedded builds running Android 4.0.3 through 5.x before 5.1. Modern supported Android releases are not identified as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or another cited claim of active exploitation. Public technical discussion exists, but the sources provided do not support stating that exploitation is active in the wild.
Researcher notes
Treat the affected range as Android 4.0.3 through pre-5.1 5.x unless vendor backports prove otherwise. The CVE notes this is distinct from CVE-2014-7920. Evidence is incomplete for exploit prerequisites, attack vector, and severity scoring.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Android versions across managed and embedded device fleets.
- Upgrade affected devices to Android 5.1 or a vendor-supported patched release.
- Retire or isolate devices that cannot receive supported Android updates.
- Check OEM guidance for backported fixes on customized Android builds.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any device runs Android 4.0.3 through 5.x before 5.1.
- Review OEM build notes for inclusion of the referenced frameworks/av fix.
- Verify vulnerable legacy devices are blocked from sensitive networks and apps.
- Track exceptions for unsupported devices until replaced or isolated.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2014-7921 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bits-please.blogspot.com/2016/01/android-privilege-escalation-to.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/av/+/36d1577%5E%21/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.