CVE-2018-9488 Privilege escalation in Android

What is CVE-2018-9488?

CVE-2018-9488 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 6 Nov 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

In the SELinux permissions of crash_dump.te, there is a permissions bypass due to a missing restriction. This could lead to a local escalation of privilege, with System privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Product: Android Versions: Android-8.0 Android-8.1 Android-9.0 Android ID: A-110107376.

Weakness: CWE-863

Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-9488?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Google Android.

How do I fix CVE-2018-9488?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-9488 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2018-9488 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2018-9488 exists.

Public exploit code: 1 Exploit-DB entry.

Other vulnerabilities in Google Android

• CVE-2026-58704 Google Pixel Improper Authorization Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2025-48543 Android Runtime Use-After-Free Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2023-35674 Android Framework Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2025-48595 Android Framework Integer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2024-32896 Android Pixel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.1

All Google Android vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-533r-f5fc-h9gv.