CVE-2022-20279
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn DevicePolicyManager, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to side channel information disclosure. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-204877302
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIn Android's DevicePolicyManager, an information disclosure vulnerability allows a local attacker to determine whether a specific app is installed on the device without requiring any query permissions. This is achieved through a side channel (likely timing or behavioral differences) that reveals app presence information. The attack requires no additional execution privileges and needs no user interaction.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 13.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run `getprop ro.build.version.release` via ADB shell. Confirm the version is exactly 13.0.Affected if The Android version is 13.0 (the only affected version per the provided information).
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Check the Security Patch LevelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run `getprop ro.build.version.security_patch` via ADB shell. Note the date shown (e.g., September 2022, October 2022, etc.).Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the patch that addresses CVE-2022-20279. If you cannot verify the specific patch date that fixes this CVE, the device may still be affected.
The device is affected if it runs Android 13.0 and has not received the security update that addresses CVE-2022-20279. If the Security Patch Level is current and includes the fix for this vulnerability, the device is not affected.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedApply the Android security patch level for Android-13 that addresses this vulnerability (Google's monthly security update). Device manufacturers must integrate and deliver this patch to end-user devices.
Android 14 or later (or latest Android 13 security patch level containing the fix)
- Check for system updates on the Android device and install any available security patches
- Go to Settings > System > System update (or Settings > About phone > Software update)
- Ensure the device receives the latest Android security update that includes the fix for A-204877302
- If available, upgrade to Android 14 which contains the fix for this vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20279 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20279 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data