CVE-2026-49924 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2026
In ShortcutInfo of ShortcutInfo.java, there is a possible way to crash the launcher via unauthorized shortcuts due to resource exhaustion. This could lead to local denial of service with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2026
The vulnerability identified in the Android framework's ShortcutInfo class represents a critical flaw within the system UI component responsible for managing application shortcut metadata. Specifically, this issue resides in ShortcutInfo.java and involves improper handling of resource allocation when processing shortcuts that lack proper authorization or validation checks. The core technical flaw is rooted in insufficient input sanitization and bounds checking during the parsing and instantiation of shortcut objects. When a malicious actor provides crafted data containing an excessive number of shortcuts or malformed metadata, the system fails to enforce limits on memory consumption or thread creation associated with these entries. This oversight allows for rapid resource exhaustion within the launcher process, which is typically running as part of the System UI service with elevated privileges relative to standard applications but without full kernel-level access.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-400, Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, and more specifically CWE-789, Memory Exhaustion. The attacker can trigger this condition by exploiting the launcher's ability to receive intents or broadcast messages that instruct it to load shortcut information from external sources without adequate verification of the source's trustworthiness or the payload size. Because the launcher is a central component of the Android user interface, its stability is paramount for device usability. When resource limits are exceeded due to the injection of unauthorized shortcuts, the Java Virtual Machine may throw an OutOfMemoryError or similar exception that crashes the process hosting the ShortcutInfo instances. This crash results in the immediate termination of the launcher service, leading to a visible system freeze where the home screen disappears and must be restarted by the user or through automated recovery mechanisms if available.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it facilitates a local denial-of-service attack against the device's primary interface. An adversary does not require any special privileges such as root access or signature-level permissions to exploit this flaw, making it accessible to any application installed on the target device that can send intents to the launcher component. Furthermore, user interaction is not required for exploitation in many scenarios; if an app has permission to post notifications or receive broadcasts, it may be able to trigger the vulnerability silently in the background. This means a malicious application could potentially crash the launcher repeatedly, rendering the device unusable until rebooted or until the offending process is killed by the system's watchdog timers. Such behavior degrades user experience and can serve as a vector for more complex attacks where stability issues are used to mask other activities or force users into unsafe recovery states.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate patching and long-term architectural improvements within the Android framework. The primary remediation involves updating the ShortcutInfo class to implement strict validation rules that limit the number of shortcuts processed per intent, enforce size constraints on metadata fields, and verify the authenticity of shortcut sources before instantiation. Developers should also incorporate try-catch blocks around resource-intensive operations related to shortcut loading to prevent unhandled exceptions from crashing the entire launcher process. Additionally, implementing rate-limiting mechanisms can help mitigate abuse by restricting how frequently a single application can request shortcut updates. From a defense-in-depth perspective, enforcing stricter permission models for components that interact with system UI elements and utilizing Android's built-in resource monitoring tools can provide early detection of anomalous behavior indicative of such exploitation attempts.