CVE-2011-1823
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.
- CVSS
- 7.8Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 8 Sept 2022CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 29 Sept 2022
- EPSS
- 41.4%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 2% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Not stated by the vendorno fixed release in the CVE record
- Published
- 9 Jun 2011analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- google:android
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.
Also consider: patch
Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 8 Sept 2022.
- CISA due date
- 29 Sept 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- None on record in Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei templates or PoC-in-GitHub.
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 7 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Timeline
- 9 Jun 2011Published
- 8 Sept 2022Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)4,109 days (about 11 years) later
- 29 Sept 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
- 7 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active863 days (about 2 years) later
- 22 Oct 2025CVE record last updated256 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user). | Local access required (shell, logged-in user). |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | LowThe attacker needs basic user privileges. | The attacker needs basic user privileges. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2011-1823 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2011-1823 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2011-1823?
CVE-2011-1823 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2011-1823?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2011-1823, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.
What does CVE-2011-1823 affect?
CVE-2011-1823 affects google:android. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
10 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Other links (10)
- android.git.kernel.org /?p=platform/system/netd.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=79b579c92afc08ab12c0a5788d61f2dd2934
- android.git.kernel.org /?p=platform/system/core.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=b620a0b1c7ae486e979826200e8e441605b0
- c-skills.blogspot.com /2011/04/yummy-yummy-gingerbreak.html
- androidcommunity.com /gingerbreak-root-for-gingerbread-app-20110421/
- android.git.kernel.org /?p=platform/system/vold.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=c51920c82463b240e2be0430849837d6fdc5
- xorl.wordpress.com /2011/04/28/android-vold-mpartminors-signedness-issue/
Show 4 more
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com /vulnerabilities/67977
- androidpolice.com /2011/05/03/google-patches-gingerbreak-exploit-but-dont-worry-we-still-have-root
- forum.xda-developers.com /showthread.php?t=1044765
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2011-1823
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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