Executive brief
A vulnerability in Android's filesystem checking utility (fsck) contains a heap buffer overflow in the read_boot_region function. An attacker with local access to a device can exploit this flaw to read memory outside intended bounds and escalate privileges without requiring additional permissions or user interaction, potentially gaining full control of an affected Android device.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in the read_boot_region function of fsck.c, resulting in an out-of-bounds read condition. This is a memory safety issue affecting a low-level system utility used during filesystem operations. The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to already have execution context on the device; no additional execution privileges or user interaction are needed for exploitation. An attacker can leverage this to read sensitive data from the heap and escalate privileges to gain unauthorized access. Patches are available in Android Open Source Project (AOSP) versions 14 and later with the 2026-09-05 security patch level or newer.
Affected products
- Google Android 14 and later
Timeline
- 2026-09-08: disclosed
- 2026-09-05: patched