CVE-2026-49189: Android Broadcast Receiver Auth Bypass

CVE-2026-49189 Overview

CVE-2026-49189 is a privilege management vulnerability tracked under [CWE-269]. A core Broadcast Receiver exposes administrative operations without enforcing access controls. Unauthorized local software components can invoke these operations and perform actions reserved for privileged callers.

The weakness requires local access and low privileges, but no user interaction. Successful exploitation yields high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected component. Additional technical context is available in the Acer Community KB Article.

Critical Impact
Local applications without administrative rights can trigger privileged operations through an unprotected Broadcast Receiver, enabling privilege escalation on the affected device.

Affected Products

Specific affected product versions are not listed in the NVD record
Refer to the Acer Community KB Article for vendor-confirmed scope
Not Available

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-04 - CVE-2026-49189 published to NVD
2026-06-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-49189

Vulnerability Analysis

The flaw resides in a core Broadcast Receiver component that accepts intents from any local caller. The receiver dispatches administrative operations without validating the caller's identity, signature, or permission level. Any installed application or local process can deliver a crafted broadcast and trigger privileged behavior.

The vulnerability falls under [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management. The receiver effectively grants its own elevated permissions to callers that should not possess them. This collapses the trust boundary between unprivileged applications and the administrative functions the component exposes.

Root Cause

The Broadcast Receiver was declared with public export semantics and lacks a signature-level permission check. Developers did not enforce caller verification before invoking administrative routines. As a result, the access control decision relies solely on the implicit assumption that only trusted code will send the relevant intent.

Attack Vector

An attacker first achieves local code execution with low privileges, typically by installing a malicious application or compromising an existing one. The attacker then constructs an intent targeting the exposed Broadcast Receiver with parameters that invoke administrative operations. The receiver processes the broadcast and executes the requested action under its own elevated context.

No verified exploit code is publicly available. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose because no sanitized proof-of-concept was published with the advisory. Consult the Acer Community KB Article for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-49189

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected administrative state changes on the device that cannot be traced to legitimate management workflows or user actions
Installation of low-reputation applications shortly before privileged configuration changes occur
Anomalous intent broadcasts targeting system Broadcast Receivers from non-system UIDs

Detection Strategies

Inventory third-party applications that hold permissions to send broadcasts to system components and flag those without a documented business need
Monitor process and application telemetry for sequences where a low-privilege process is followed by administrative configuration changes
Correlate package install events with subsequent privilege-relevant operations using endpoint telemetry

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the affected Broadcast Receiver and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for review
Track failed and successful invocations of administrative operations and alert on calls originating from unsigned or sideloaded packages
Review mobile device management (MDM) compliance reports for unauthorized configuration drift

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-49189

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the vendor update referenced in the Acer Community KB Article as soon as it is available for your device model
Restrict installation of unverified third-party applications on affected devices through MDM policy
Audit installed applications and remove any that request permissions to interact with system Broadcast Receivers without justification

Patch Information

The vendor advisory referenced in the NVD record is the Acer Community KB Article. Consult that article for fixed firmware or software versions and apply updates following the vendor's published procedure. No additional patch metadata is published in the NVD record at the time of writing.

Workarounds

Limit device usage to vetted application catalogs until the vendor patch is deployed
Use MDM controls to block sideloading and enforce application allow-listing on affected fleets
Reduce the attack surface by removing unused applications that could be repurposed to deliver the malicious broadcast

bash

# Configuration example
# No vendor-published mitigation command set is available.
# Refer to the Acer Community KB Article for official remediation steps:
# https://community.acer.com/en/kb/articles/19707