dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20461

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 pinReplyNative of com_android_bluetooth_btservice_AdapterService.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to type confusion. This could lead to local escalation of privilege of BLE with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-228602963

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 · high confidence

A type confusion vulnerability in the Bluetooth service (pinReplyNative function) on Android allows an out-of-bounds read, enabling local privilege escalation on BLE without user interaction or additional privileges.

MitigationApply Android security updates (2022-12 patch level or later) from the device manufacturer; this is a system-level Bluetooth component vulnerability requiring vendor firmware updates.

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:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0= 12.1= 13.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Version is 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 exactly (these are the affected versions)
  2. Check Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if Patch level is earlier than December 2022 (2022-12) - the vulnerability is unpatched if below this level
  3. Verify Bluetooth component presence
    Confirm the device has Bluetooth capability - check for Bluetooth settings or run 'getprop ro.bluetooth.api' via ADB
    Affected if Device has Bluetooth hardware and the pinReplyNative function exists in the Bluetooth stack (standard on affected Android versions)
  4. Confirm Bluetooth service is accessible
    Check that Bluetooth is enabled or can be toggled on in Settings > Bluetooth, or verify the Bluetooth service is running via 'dumpsys bluetooth_manager' via ADB
    Affected if Bluetooth service is present and operational on an unpatched device - the vulnerability exists in the service regardless of whether Bluetooth is currently on

Device is affected if running Android 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 with a Security Patch Level earlier than December 2022, as the type confusion flaw in the pinReplyNative Bluetooth function remains unpatched.

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 Android security updates (2022-12 patch level or later) from the device manufacturer; this is a system-level Bluetooth component vulnerability requiring vendor firmware updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 or Android 12L with December 2022 security patch or later

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings > System > Security Update on the affected Android device
  2. 2. Check the current Android security patch level
  3. 3. If the patch level is earlier than the fix release, update the system to install the latest security patch
  4. 4. Alternatively, upgrade to Android 13 which contains the fix for this vulnerability
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful by checking the security patch level again
Caveat Upgrading to a newer Android version may change UI or remove older apps; ensure app compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2022-20461 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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