---
id: "CVE-2026-49906"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-49906"]
title: "Android Automotive: unprivileged apps can show content on instrument cluster display"
severity: "unknown"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "infrastructure"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["android-automotive", "automotive", "infrastructure", "instrument-cluster"]
not_affected_if: ["no-cluster-display", "no-third-party-apps"]
published_at: "2026-11-02T21:17:31+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-02T21:35:41+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-02T21:37:18+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-49906", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-02T21:35:41+00:00"}]
---

# Android Automotive: unprivileged apps can show content on instrument cluster display

An ordinary installed app can register an activity in the navigation category and have the privileged ClusterHomeSample app launch it on the car's instrument cluster screen, skipping the required permission check. An attacker can keep misleading or distracting content on the safety-critical cluster display.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check whether the vehicle or head unit runs Android Automotive OS and includes the ClusterHomeSample app
- Check the installed Android Automotive build version against the vendor's advisory: unknown
- Review whether third-party apps are installed on cluster-enabled head units: unknown

## Timeline

- 2026-11-02T21:35:41+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-49906

## From the sources

An unprivileged application can bypass the `android.car.permission.CAR_DISPLAY_IN_CLUSTER` permission by registering an activity with the `android.car.cluster.NAVIGATION` category and requesting navigation app focus. The privileged `ClusterHomeSample` application, acting as a confused deputy, resolves and launches this arbitrary third-party activity on the safety-critical instrument cluster display without enforcing the necessary permission check, allowing for persistent display of potentially misleading or distracting content.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_