Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Android SoC issue affects the PowerVR kernel driver. A local attacker could exploit a missing size check to gain higher privileges on an affected device. It is not a remote network bug, but successful exploitation could give broad control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the device.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for Android fleets where devices may contain affected SoC drivers, especially managed or privileged-use devices. Business urgency is high where patch coverage is uncertain, but the issue requires local access rather than direct remote exploitation.
Technical view
PVRSRVBridgeSyncPrimOpTake in the PowerVR kernel driver lacks a size check, creating an integer overflow that can lead to out-of-bounds heap access. The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Android devices using affected SoC-level PowerVR kernel driver code and missing the relevant Android or OEM security update. The source bundle identifies Android SoC, but does not enumerate device models, chipsets, or OEM patch availability.
Exploitation context
The available sources support local escalation of privilege with no user interaction and low privileges required. The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Treat exploitation status as not confirmed, not disproven.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to Android bulletin and CVE metadata. The sources identify the vulnerable function and bug class, but not affected device models, patched driver versions, exploit artifacts, or confirmed in-the-wild abuse. Avoid asserting broader product impact without OEM-specific advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Android and OEM security updates covering the April 2023 bulletin.
- Check vendor guidance for affected device models and SoC firmware status.
- Prioritize managed Android devices with PowerVR-based SoCs.
- Retire or isolate devices that cannot receive vendor security updates.
Validation and detection
- Verify Android security patch level against the April 2023 bulletin timeframe.
- Compare fleet inventory with OEM advisories for affected SoC devices.
- Confirm kernel driver updates through device vendor release notes.
- Track unsupported devices separately for risk acceptance or replacement.
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
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-0885 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.