Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Android SoC vulnerability could let a local attacker move from limited access to powerful kernel-level control. It requires existing local execution and is high complexity, but no user interaction is needed. The source bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority mobile platform hygiene issue, especially for fleets containing older or unmanaged Android devices. It is not currently supported as actively exploited in the provided sources, but kernel-level impact justifies timely remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-39660 is a CWE-362 race condition in Android SoC components. The CVSS vector is local, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Android devices whose OEM firmware has not incorporated the relevant Android Security Bulletin fixes. The source bundle identifies Android SoC broadly, but does not name specific chipsets, device models, or Android releases beyond Android SoC.
Exploitation context
The available sources support local privilege escalation, not remote compromise. A successful attacker would need local low-privileged execution, such as through an already-installed malicious app or another foothold. KEV is false, and the bundle provides no cited evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The public record is sparse: key fields are listed as TBD, and the affected scope is only Android SoC. Avoid assuming a specific chipset, driver, exploit path, or patch identifier unless confirmed in OEM or Android bulletin details.
Mitigation direction
- Review the December 2022 Android Security Bulletin and relevant OEM advisories.
- Update affected Android devices to vendor firmware containing the applicable Android SoC fixes.
- Prioritize unmanaged, sideload-enabled, or end-of-support Android devices for review.
- Restrict untrusted app installation where patching is delayed.
- Retire devices that cannot receive vendor security updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android devices by model, OEM, SoC, and security patch level.
- Confirm each OEM build includes the CVE-2021-39660 fix or later bulletin coverage.
- Check MDM compliance reports for outdated Android security patch levels.
- Identify devices that no longer receive OEM firmware updates.
- Document any compensating controls for devices pending update.
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-362: 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-39660 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 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H15.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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/2022-12-01CVE 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.
Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.