dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20438

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
In Messaging, There has unauthorized broadcast, this could cause Local Deny of Service.Product: AndroidVersions: Android SoCAndroid ID: A-242259920

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 confidence

A vulnerability in Android's Messaging application allows an unauthorized broadcast to be sent locally, triggering a denial of service that crashes the Messaging app. This is a local privilege escalation issue in the Android SoC messaging component where improper broadcast permission checks permit a local attacker to disrupt the messaging service.

MitigationApply available Android security patches from the device/SOC manufacturer. For organizations, this requires identifying affected devices in the fleet and ensuring they receive the relevant Android security update containing the fix.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level (or Settings > System > Security > Security Patch Level on some devices). Note the date shown.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the update containing the fix for CVE-2022-20438, or if the device no longer receives security updates.
  2. Verify Messaging application presence
    Check if the default Android Messaging app (com.android.messaging or similar package name) is installed on the device. Can be viewed in Settings > Apps > See all apps.
    Affected if The Messaging app is installed and the device has not received the relevant security patch.
  3. Confirm Android version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or Settings > System > About Phone > Android version).
    Affected if The Android version is older and has not been updated to include the CVE-2022-20438 fix.
  4. Check device vendor support status
    Contact the device/SOC manufacturer or check their support website to confirm whether the device model has received the November 2022 Android security update or later.
    Affected if The device manufacturer has not released or deployed the security patch containing the fix for this vulnerability.

A device is affected if it runs the Android Messaging app and has not received the security patch that addresses CVE-2022-20438, as all unpatched Android versions are vulnerable to this local broadcast permission bypass leading to Messaging app crash.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply available Android security patches from the device/SOC manufacturer. For organizations, this requires identifying affected devices in the fleet and ensuring they receive the relevant Android security update containing the fix.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android devices with December 2022 security patch level (2022-12-01) or later; or Android 13/14 which includes all monthly security updates

  1. Check your device's current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Version > Android security patch level
  2. If your device has not received the December 2022 security update (2022-12-01 patch level or later), check for available system updates in Settings > System > Software Update
  3. If no update is available from your device manufacturer, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular monthly security updates
  4. Alternatively, ensure you are running Android 13 (API 33) or Android 14 (API 34) which includes this security fix
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level is December 2022 or later in Settings > About Phone > Version > Android security patch level
Caveat Some older devices may not receive the December 2022 update and may require upgrading to a newer device; some legacy messaging apps may have compatibility issues with newer Android versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20438 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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