dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-42506

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-16
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
In SimUpdatePbEntry::encode of simdata.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-241388399References: N/A

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 missing bounds check in SimUpdatePbEntry::encode of simdata.cpp allows an out-of-bounds write when processing SIM phonebook entries. This buffer overflow in the Android kernel's SIM subsystem can be exploited locally to escalate privileges to System level, requiring the attacker to already have System execution privileges on the device.

MitigationApply the Android security patch that includes the fix for A-241388399, which adds proper bounds validation in the SIM phonebook entry encoding routine to prevent the out-of-bounds write.

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
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 security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level and note the date. The vulnerability was fixed in the November 2022 Android Security Patch (or subsequent patches).
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than November 2022 or the date is unknown/unlisted, indicating the fix is not applied.
  2. Identify the kernel source containing simdata.cpp
    Locate the kernel source code or kernel image on the device. Search for the file simdata.cpp and locate the SimUpdatePbEntry::encode function. This is typically found in the telephony or SIM-related kernel modules.
    Affected if The simdata.cpp file exists and contains the SimUpdatePbEntry::encode function without proper bounds validation in the encoding routine.
  3. Verify SIM phonebook feature is accessible
    Check if the device has SIM card functionality and whether applications can access or write to the SIM phonebook. Use adb shell to inspect telephony services or check if apps have READ_CONTACTS or WRITE_CONTACTS permissions that interact with SIM storage.
    Affected if The device supports SIM phonebook storage and applications can write entries to it.
  4. Confirm current execution context
    Determine the current privilege level of code execution on the device. Use 'whoami' or check the process UID via 'ps -A' in adb shell. The vulnerability requires the attacker to already have System-level execution privileges.
    Affected if The current execution context is already running as the System user (UID 1000) or higher privileges.
  5. Inspect bounds validation in SimUpdatePbEntry::encode
    Review the source code of SimUpdatePbEntry::encode in simdata.cpp. Look for bounds checking logic before the write operation that processes SIM phonebook entry data. The vulnerable code lacks validation that the data fits within the allocated buffer.
    Affected if The encode function directly writes SIM phonebook entry data without validating that the entry length fits within the target buffer.

The device is affected if it runs an Android version without the November 2022 (or later) security patch, has SIM phonebook functionality enabled, and the SimUpdatePbEntry::encode function in the kernel still lacks bounds validation before writing SIM phonebook entry data.

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 the Android security patch that includes the fix for A-241388399, which adds proper bounds validation in the SIM phonebook entry encoding routine to prevent the out-of-bounds write.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android security patch level November 2022 or later (2022-11-01)

  1. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than November 2022, update your device: Go to Settings > System > System Update and check for updates
  3. If no OTA update is available, check your device manufacturer's support website for available security updates
  4. Install the latest Android security update available for your device model
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level shows a date of November 2022 or later in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
Caveat Security updates may have limited availability for older devices; some devices may not receive monthly updates beyond a certain timeframe

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
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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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-2022-42506 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