CVE-2019-2215
CVE-2019-2215 is a security flaw in Android Kernel, Google’s operating system for phones and tablets. Someone who already has a foothold can use Android Kernel to take full control of the machine. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Nov 2021.[1]
Android Kernel 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 a kernel use-after-free in Android Android Kernel. In its words: “Android Kernel contains a use-after-free vulnerability in binder.c that allows for privilege escalation from an application to the Linux Kernel. This vulnerability was observed chained with CVE-2020-0041 and CVE-2020-0069 under exploit chain "AbstractEmu."”[1]
The CVE record adds: “A use-after-free in binder.c allows an elevation of privilege from an application to the Linux Kernel. No user interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability, however exploitation does require either the installation of a malicious local application or a separate vulnerability in a network facing application.Product: AndroidAndroid ID: A-141720095”[2]
The underlying weakness is use after free (CWE-416), 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 Kernel.
Every device with Android Kernel needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Nov 2021, 754 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 3 May 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 72%. That’s in the top 1% 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 Kernel 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 72%.[4] |
See also
Other Android Kernel flaws
- CVE-2020-0041: kernel out-of-bounds write ·
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 ·
Other use after free flaws
- CVE-2026-109619, PHP: stale internal request-state ·
- CVE-2026-109618, PHP: memory corruption ·
- CVE-2026-68820, Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2010-0249, Microsoft Internet Explorer: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2020-9715, Adobe Acrobat: use-after-free ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2021-42258, BQE BillQuick Web Suite: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2021-42013, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-41773, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-40539, Zoho ManageEngine: aDSelfService plus authentication bypass ·
- CVE-2021-40444, Microsoft MSHTML: remote code execution ·
Every Android flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in November 2021
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Android Kernel Use-After-Free Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Nov 2021.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2019-2215 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 11 Oct 2019.
- ^ Android. Advisories and fixes: source.android.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.721, percentile 99.4, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2019-2215”. 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.