VulnerabilityPublished 2 Mar 2026Updated 1 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-0017: Google Android · Elevation of Privilege

Affects Google AndroidSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.7 High.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.7High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GoogleAndroid	Affected =16-qpr2 =16	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-0017, organizations and users should: 1) Monitor official Google Android security bulletins closely and apply security updates promptly once patches for this vulnerability are released. 2) Restrict physical and local access to devices, enforcing strict device control policies to minimize risk of local exploitation. 3) Employ additional authentication layers where possible, such as PIN or password, to complement biometric security. 4) Use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies and remotely lock or wipe compromised devices. 5) Educate users about the risks of leaving devices unattended or accessible to untrusted individuals. 6) Consider disabling fingerprint unlock temporarily on affected devices if no immediate patch is available and the risk of local access is high. 7) Implement anomaly detection for unusual biometric authentication events or privilege escalations. These steps go beyond generic advice by emphasizing layered security controls, proactive monitoring, and user awareness to reduce exploitation likelihood.

Description

In onChange of BiometricService.java, there is a possible way to enable fingerprint unlock due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-0017 is the unauthorized elevation of privileges on affected Android devices, allowing attackers to bypass biometric authentication controls. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive user data, including personal information, credentials, and secure applications. The integrity of the device's security mechanisms is compromised, potentially enabling further malicious activities such as installing persistent malware or exfiltrating data. Since the vulnerability requires only local access and no user interaction, it increases the risk from insiders or attackers who gain temporary physical access to devices. The lack of availability impact means the device remains operational, potentially masking the compromise. Organizations relying on Android devices for secure communications, mobile workforce, or sensitive operations face increased risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. The widespread use of Android globally amplifies the potential scale of impact until patches are applied.

Summary

CVE-2026-0017 is a vulnerability identified in the Google Android operating system, specifically affecting versions 16 and 16-qpr2. The flaw exists in the BiometricService.java component, within the onChange method, where a logic error allows an attacker to enable fingerprint unlock without proper authorization. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) and CWE-285 (Improper Authorization), indicating weaknesses in access control logic. The exploit requires only local access to the device but does not require any prior privileges or user interaction, making it easier for an attacker who has physical or local access to escalate their privileges. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass biometric authentication mechanisms, effectively granting them elevated privileges on the device. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.7 (high), reflecting high confidentiality and integrity impact, with no impact on availability. The attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U). Currently, there are no known exploits in the wild, and no official patches have been published at the time of disclosure. This vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security model of Android biometric authentication, potentially undermining device security and user trust.

CWE-693Protection Mechanism Failure (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
Cross Site Tracing (opens in a new tab)
Directory Indexing (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Encryption Brute Forcing (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).
CWE-285Improper Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design
Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
Architecture and Design
Ensure that you perform access control checks related to your business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that you apply to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
Cross Zone Scripting (opens in a new tab)
Directory Indexing (opens in a new tab)
Subverting Environment Variable Values (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Mar 2026, 16:55 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-693, CWE-285

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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