Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9375 is an Android local privilege escalation issue. A lower-privileged local app could abuse Android's user dictionary provider to add or delete dictionary words without user interaction. The public record rates it high because successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability on impacted devices.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for legacy Android risk management, especially where unmanaged or unsupported devices access business data. It is not presented as internet-exploitable or actively exploited in the supplied sources, but local privilege escalation can materially increase impact after initial device compromise.
Technical view
The issue is described as a confused-deputy flaw in multiple UserDictionaryProvider.java functions. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8, with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high CIA impact. The affected data is sparse and labels Google Android with version "Android Kernel."
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Android or Pixel devices that did not receive the applicable June 2018 Android/Pixel security updates. The provided sources do not identify specific device models, Android releases, or downstream OEM patch status beyond Google Android.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation is local, requires an already-present low-privileged app or local code execution, and does not require user interaction. No remote exploitation path is described in the supplied sources.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited. The description names UserDictionaryProvider.java and confused-deputy behavior, while affected metadata lists Google Android with version "Android Kernel." Do not infer additional Android versions, OEMs, or exploit availability from these sources alone. Focus validation on patch-level evidence and vendor bulletins.
Mitigation direction
- Review the Android Pixel June 2018 bulletin for vendor guidance.
- Apply applicable Android or Pixel security updates from June 2018 or later.
- Prioritize managed Android devices with unknown or outdated patch levels.
- Remove or replace unsupported devices that cannot receive vendor security updates.
- Check OEM carrier guidance for non-Pixel Android patch availability.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android and Pixel devices in the environment.
- Confirm each device security patch level covers the June 2018 bulletin.
- Compare OEM build information against vendor-published security bulletin status.
- Verify EMM or MDM reports for stale Android patch levels.
- Document exceptions where vendor patch evidence is unavailable.
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.
CWE-269: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-9375 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2018-06-01CVE reference
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.
Improper Privilege Management
Improper Privilege Management represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.