dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-23431

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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
An improper boundary check in RPMB ldfw prior to SMR Feb-2022 Release 1 allows arbitrary memory write and code execution.

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

An improper boundary check in RPMB (Replay Protected Memory Block) ldfw prior to SMR Feb-2022 Release 1 allows an attacker to write to arbitrary memory locations and achieve code execution. This is a memory corruption vulnerability in low-level firmware that handles secure storage operations.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to SMR Feb-2022 Release 1 or later to obtain the boundary check fix. Given the arbitrary memory write and code execution impact, prioritize patching for any systems using the vulnerable firmware.

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

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 OS 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, or 12.0 (these are the specifically listed 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 February 2022 (vulnerable if SMR is pre-Feb-2022 Release 1)
  3. Verify SMR (Security Maintenance Release) version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.sem' or 'getprop ro.vendor.build.security_patch' via ADB to check the vendor-specific SMR date
    Affected if SMR date is before February 2022 Release 1, indicating the boundary check fix has not been applied
  4. Confirm RPMB (Replay Protected Memory Block) support is present
    Check /proc/cmdline or /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/io_type via ADB for RPMB partition presence, or verify device uses eMMC storage with secure storage capabilities
    Affected if Device has RPMB partition and secure storage enabled - the vulnerability exists in the RPMB ldfw firmware component handling this feature

A device is affected if it runs Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 AND has a Security Patch Level or SMR date earlier than the February 2022 Release 1, since that release contains the boundary check fix for the RPMB firmware vulnerability.

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

Update affected devices to SMR Feb-2022 Release 1 or later to obtain the boundary check fix. Given the arbitrary memory write and code execution impact, prioritize patching for any systems using the vulnerable firmware.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung SMR Feb-2022 Release 1 or later (any newer SMR)

  1. Check the current Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) version on the device: Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build number
  2. Verify if the current build includes the Feb-2022 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) or later. The SMR date is shown in the build number or can be checked in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
  3. If the device is on an older SMR, navigate to Settings > Software Update > Download and install to apply the latest Samsung firmware update
  4. Alternatively, manually flash the latest official Samsung firmware for the specific model number (SM-XXX) from Samsung's firmware databases, ensuring it includes the Feb-2022 SMR or newer
  5. After update, confirm the security patch level reflects Feb-2022 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
Caveat Samsung firmware updates are generally cumulative; applying the Feb-2022 SMR or later should not introduce breaking changes but always back up data before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-23431 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-23431 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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