Google has published the May 2021 Security Update Bulletin, and has also started rolling out new updates to supported Pixel devices.
May 2021 Security Update Bulletin
The Android Security Bulletin for the month of May 2021, which can be viewed here, details multiple security vulnerabilities ranging in severity from moderate to critical. One of the most severe vulnerabilities in the Android Framework could enable a local malicious application to bypass user interaction requirements in order to gain access to additional permissions. There are also some issues involving the Android Media Framework, Android System, and some closed-source components from vendors like Qualcomm and MediaTek.
As we’ve seen in the past, many of the disclosed vulnerabilities don’t offer additional documentation that explains what is affected and how the patch addresses the issue.
Pixel Update Bulletin/Functional Update
In addition to providing information about vulnerabilities in the general Android Security Update Bulletin, Google has also unveiled the issues facing Pixel devices. The Pixel Update Bulletin highlights a handful of moderate issues and appear to affect Android Kernel components, a Qualcomm component related to the camera, and Qualcomm closed-source components.
The list this month is actually relatively small, and all of them are listed as moderate. Unlike last month, Google doesn’t highlight any notable fixes, but we’ll update this post once that information is made available. Last month, Google highlighted issues related to camera quality in certain third-party apps, and performance optimizations for certain graphics-intensive apps and games.
Google said the May 2021 security update is rolling out in phases depending on your carrier and device, so you may not see it right away. The search giant said you should receive a notification once it’s available.
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Global:
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Pixel 3 (XL): RQ2A.210505.002
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Pixel 3a (XL): RQ2A.210505.002
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Pixel 4 (XL): RQ2A.210505.002
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Pixel 4a: RQ2A.210505.002
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Pixel 4a (5G): RQ2A.210505.003
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Pixel 5: RQ2A.210505.003
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