CVE-2011-1823
CVE-2011-1823 is a security flaw in Android OS, Google’s operating system for phones and tablets. Someone who already has a way in can use Android OS to run their own code. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 8 Sep 2022.[1]
Android OS is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Android has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it an OS privilege escalation in Android Android OS. In its words: “The vold volume manager daemon in Android kernel trusts messages from a PF_NETLINK socket, which allows an attacker to execute code and gain root privileges. This vulnerability is associated with GingerBreak and Exploit.AndroidOS.Lotoor.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “The vold volume manager daemon on Android 3.0 and 2.x before 2.3.4 trusts messages that are received from a PF_NETLINK socket, which allows local users to execute arbitrary code and gain root privileges via a negative index that bypasses a maximum-only signed integer check in the DirectVolume::handlePartitionAdded method, which triggers memory corruption, as demonstrated by Gingerbreak.”[2]
The underlying weakness is CWE-189, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 7.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Android’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Android Android OS.
Every device with Android OS needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 8 Sep 2022, 4,109 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 29 Sep 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 41%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Android has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update Android OS now.On Android: Settings, then System or Software update. Phones only get these fixes while their maker still supports them. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 41%.[4] |
See also
Other Android flaws
- CVE-2025-48595, Android Framework: integer overflow ·
- CVE-2025-48633, Android Framework: information disclosure ·
- CVE-2025-48572, Android Framework: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2025-48543, Android Runtime: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2024-43093, Android Framework: privilege escalation ·
Similar flaws
- CVE-2013-2596, Linux Kernel: integer overflow ·
- CVE-2013-2094, Linux Kernel: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2012-5054, Adobe Flash Player: integer overflow ·
- CVE-2015-8651, Adobe Flash Player: integer overflow ·
- CVE-2013-2729, Adobe Reader and Acrobat: arbitrary integer overflow ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-3075, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: insufficient data validation ·
- CVE-2022-27593, QNAP Photo Station: externally controlled reference ·
- CVE-2022-26258, D-Link DIR-820L: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2020-9934, Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS: input validation ·
- CVE-2018-7445, MikroTik RouterOS: stack-based buffer overflow ·
Every Android flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in September 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Android OS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 8 Sep 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2011-1823 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 9 Jun 2011.
- ^ Android. Advisories and fixes: android.googlesource.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.414, percentile 98.7, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2011-1823”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.