Threats / Google / CVE-2021-39793
CVE-2021-39793
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Google Pixel vulnerability
Google Pixel contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability due to logic error, enabling local privilege escalation.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A logic error in Pixel code permits out-of-bounds memory writes, allowing local attackers to escalate privileges. The vulnerability has been exploited in the wild.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-04-114EPSS 0.00732 (verify live)5CVSS 7.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
5 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-04-11).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.00732 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: Google, Pixel. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write — weakness family: Memory safety.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 26 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I gain code execution on the target Pixel device through an initial compromise or physical access.
Business
User device security is compromised, exposing personal data and system integrity.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I craft input that triggers the logic error, writing data beyond allocated buffer boundaries in kernel or privileged memory.
Business
Memory corruption creates unpredictable system behavior and potential data loss.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I leverage the out-of-bounds write to overwrite privilege-related structures or execute arbitrary code at elevated privilege level.
Business
Attacker gains system-level control, bypassing security boundaries and access controls.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05
Coverage & confidence
— what we know, and what we don’tEstablished (cited)
Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden
Disclosure & credit2
Catalogued by google_androidCNA
Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.