Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9431 is a local Android privilege escalation issue in OSUInfo.java. A low-privileged local attacker could potentially gain higher privileges without user interaction. The known affected versions are Android 8 and 8.1. The source bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority legacy Android exposure issue, not a current emergency unless affected devices remain in service. The business decision is whether any Android 8 or 8.1 devices still handle sensitive data or enterprise access.
Technical view
The issue is described as improper input validation in OSUInfo of OSUInfo.java, mapped to CWE-276 in the provided metadata. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8: local attack, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on devices still running Android 8 or 8.1 without the relevant Android or Pixel security bulletin fixes. Organizations with legacy mobile fleets, unmanaged BYOD, or unsupported Android devices should assume higher residual exposure.
Exploitation context
The provided CVSS vector indicates local exploitation requiring some existing low-privileged access, such as a local app context. No user interaction is needed. KEV is false, and the supplied sources do not cite active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
Public detail in the supplied bundle is limited. The record identifies OSUInfo.java, local privilege escalation, no user interaction, and Android 8/8.1 impact. It does not provide exploit mechanics, affected component deployment context, or explicit mitigation beyond the referenced Android/Pixel bulletin.
Mitigation direction
- Identify Android 8 and 8.1 devices in managed and unmanaged fleets.
- Apply vendor security updates covering the July 2018 Android or Pixel bulletin.
- Retire or isolate devices that cannot receive vendor security updates.
- Restrict installation of untrusted apps on legacy Android devices.
- Check current vendor guidance before assuming a specific backported fix.
Validation and detection
- Inventory OS versions and security patch levels across Android endpoints.
- Confirm affected devices are not Android 8 or 8.1 without relevant updates.
- Review MDM compliance reports for unsupported or stale patch levels.
- Track exceptions for legacy devices with documented compensating controls.
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-276: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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-2018-9431 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/docs/security/bulletin/pixel/2018-07-01CVE 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.
Incorrect Default Permissions
Incorrect Default Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.