CVE-2026-0194 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
In multiple locations, there is a possible permission bypass due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The vulnerability described represents a critical security flaw characterized by an integer overflow condition that results in a permissions bypass within the affected software system. Integer overflows occur when an arithmetic operation produces a result that exceeds the maximum value capacity of the allocated data type, causing the value to wrap around or truncate unexpectedly. In this specific context, the flawed logic likely involves calculations related to buffer sizes, array indices, or memory allocation limits where the resulting miscalculated value is used in subsequent access control checks. Because the overflow alters the numerical outcome, it allows an attacker to manipulate internal state variables such that they fall outside the intended bounds of restricted operations. This manipulation effectively tricks the system into granting elevated privileges to a user who should not possess them, thereby bypassing standard security controls designed to isolate unprivileged processes from sensitive kernel or administrative resources.
From a technical perspective, this flaw falls under the category of CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which is frequently associated with CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management when it leads to unauthorized access. The absence of user interaction and additional execution privileges required for exploitation indicates that the vulnerability can be triggered remotely or through automated scripts without requiring a victim to click on malicious links or open specific files. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for attackers, allowing them to exploit the flaw programmatically at scale. Once exploited, the local escalation of privilege enables an attacker to gain administrative rights over the compromised system. With these elevated privileges, the adversary can install programs, view, change, or delete confidential data, and create new accounts with full user permissions. This effectively grants complete control over the affected machine, turning a standard user account into a root-level threat vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for widespread automated exploitation. Since no user interaction is required, attackers can deploy worms or botnet agents that scan networks for vulnerable instances and propagate automatically upon discovery. The escalation to local privilege means that any compromise at the application layer immediately translates into a total system breach. This undermines the principle of least privilege, which is foundational to secure system architecture. In enterprise environments, this could lead to lateral movement across network segments if the compromised host serves as a pivot point for further attacks against more critical infrastructure components such as domain controllers or database servers. The lack of execution privileges needed suggests that even sandboxed processes or restricted services might be able to trigger the condition, increasing the attack surface significantly.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary defense is the application of vendor-provided patches that correct the integer arithmetic logic and enforce strict bounds checking on all inputs involved in privilege-related calculations. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems immediately given the high severity and ease of exploitation. In addition to software updates, defensive coding practices such as using safe math libraries that detect overflows before they occur can prevent similar issues in future development cycles. Security teams should also implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius if a vulnerability is exploited, ensuring that compromised hosts cannot easily communicate with other critical assets. Furthermore, deploying intrusion detection systems configured to recognize patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts and integer overflow exploits can provide an additional layer of monitoring. Regular security audits focusing on input validation and type safety will help identify similar latent defects before they are weaponized by threat actors.