Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Chrome on Android flaw let a malicious web page abuse browser intent handling to send a user to an attacker-chosen URL. The direct impact is limited, but CISA KEV listing means exploitation has been observed and unmanaged Android browsers should be treated as urgent.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority despite medium CVSS because CISA lists it as known exploited. The business action is straightforward: find outdated Chrome on Android and patch quickly, especially on devices accessing corporate email, identity, or internal web systems.
Technical view
CVE-2021-38000 is insufficient validation of untrusted input in Android Intents, mapped to CWE-20 and CWE-601. It affects Google Chrome on Android before 95.0.4638.69. A remote attacker could trigger arbitrary navigation to a malicious URL through crafted HTML, requiring user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Android devices running Chrome older than 95.0.4638.69, especially unmanaged BYOD, kiosks, or stale mobile fleets. Fedora and Debian advisories in the bundle indicate package maintainers also issued related security guidance.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listing. The provided sources do not include exploit mechanics or campaign details, so the realistic takeaway is confirmed exploitation, not a basis for inferring scale or targets.
Researcher notes
The source bundle does not provide exploit details, and the Chromium bug reference may have limited public detail. Validation should focus on version exposure, intent-handling risk context, and whether downstream distribution advisories apply to any managed browser packages.
Mitigation direction
- Update Chrome on Android to 95.0.4638.69 or later.
- Apply relevant Fedora or Debian security updates where applicable.
- Check vendor guidance for any platform-specific remediation details.
- Prioritize managed mobile devices and high-risk user groups first.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android Chrome versions across managed devices.
- Confirm no device remains below Chrome 95.0.4638.69.
- Review patch status against CISA KEV remediation expectations.
- Check Fedora and Debian package advisory applicability.
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-20: 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 lookupCWE-601: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. 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-2021-38000 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
CISA KEV status
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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_28.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://crbug.com/1249962CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- FEDORA-2021-6a292e2cf4CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- DSA-5046CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-38000CVE reference · government-resource
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 Input Validation
Improper Input Validation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')
URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.