CVE-2016-6716: Medium severity Google Android vulnerability
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the AOSP Launcher in Android 7.0 before 2016-11-01 could allow a local malicious application to create shortcuts that have elevated privileges without the user's consent. This issue is rated as Moderate because it is a local bypass of user interaction requirements (access to functionality that would normally require either user initiation or user permission). Android ID: A-30778130.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which devices are exposed to this issue?
Devices running Android 7.0 with the affected AOSP Launcher implementation before the 2016-11-01 security update are exposed. The provided information identifies Google Android and AOSP Launcher, but does not establish the status of vendor-customized launchers.
What does an attacker need to exploit it?
An attacker needs to get a malicious application onto the device and execute it locally. No attacker privileges are required, but the attack relies on the user interacting with a shortcut created by the malicious application.
What is the impact of successful exploitation?
A malicious local application can create shortcuts with elevated privileges without user consent. This bypasses user initiation or permission requirements for functionality that would normally require them.
How can I determine whether a device has been remediated?
Verify that the device has received the Android security update dated 2016-11-01 or a later update that includes the AOSP Launcher fix. The referenced Launcher3 change is commit e83fc11c982e67dd0181966f5f3a239ea6b14924.