Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-0881 is a local privilege escalation flaw in an Android SoC PowerVR kernel driver. A malicious app already running on an affected device could potentially gain higher privileges without user interaction. The main business concern is unpatched Android endpoints using affected SoCs. The provided sources do not report active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority mobile patching issue, not an internet-facing emergency. The risk is serious because kernel privilege escalation can deepen device compromise, but available evidence points to local exploitation and does not show active exploitation in the supplied sources.
Technical view
PVRSRVBridgeRGXKickCDM in the PowerVR kernel driver lacks a size check, creating an integer overflow and possible out-of-bounds heap access. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Android devices using affected SoC builds with the vulnerable PowerVR kernel driver. The source bundle does not provide a specific OEM, model, chipset, or kernel version list, so asset validation must rely on Android security patch level and vendor firmware advisories.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied data, and no provided source claims active exploitation. Exploitation requires local access or a low-privileged local app, but no user interaction. It is most relevant where untrusted apps or prior device compromise are realistic risks.
Researcher notes
Key gaps are affected device granularity and vendor-specific fix details. The root issue is CWE-190 integer overflow in a PowerVR kernel bridge path, with possible heap out-of-bounds access. Avoid assuming all Android devices are affected; validate against SoC, GPU driver lineage, and OEM bulletin coverage.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Android or OEM security updates that include CVE-2021-0881.
- Prioritize managed Android devices with PowerVR GPU-based SoCs.
- Check vendor firmware guidance for device-specific patch availability.
- Restrict untrusted app installation on devices awaiting patches.
- Retire or isolate devices that cannot receive relevant security updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android devices by model, SoC, GPU, and security patch level.
- Confirm whether vendor advisories reference CVE-2021-0881 for those devices.
- Verify patched devices show the applicable April 2023 or later security level.
- Review MDM compliance data for devices blocked from updates.
- Track exceptions for unsupported or unmanaged Android endpoints.
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-190: 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-2021-0881 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
- 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/2023-04-01CVE 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.
Integer Overflow or Wraparound
Integer Overflow or Wraparound represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.