dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-42533

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-17
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 shared_metadata_init of SharedMetadata.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-239415718References: 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 privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Android kernel's SharedMetadata.cpp file within the shared_metadata_init function. An integer overflow in this function can lead to an out-of-bounds memory write, allowing a local attacker to escalate privileges without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level that addresses CVE-2022-42533; update to the latest Android version or apply vendor-specific kernel patches for affected devices.

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
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 Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or Security Patch Level. Record the displayed date (e.g., 'October 5, 2022' or '2022-10-05').
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the month/year when Google released the fix for CVE-2022-42533 (typically October 2022 or later).
  2. Verify kernel version
    In Settings > About Phone > Kernel version, note the displayed kernel version string.
    Affected if The kernel version predates the inclusion of the fix for this integer overflow vulnerability in SharedMetadata.cpp.
  3. Confirm shared_metadata_init presence
    Use ADB to run 'adb shell cat /proc/version' or check /proc/version directly on the device to inspect the kernel build information.
    Affected if The kernel build does not include the patched version of the shared_metadata_init function from the Android kernel source.
  4. Check SELinux and kernel configurations
    Examine /sys/kernel/debug/selinux or use 'getenforce' via ADB to confirm SELinux is enforcing (this is the default; the vulnerability allows privilege escalation which could be used to bypass SELinux restrictions).
    Affected if The device is running with any SELinux configuration, as the integer overflow can potentially be exploited to escalate privileges beyond the current SELinux context.

A user is affected if their Android Security Patch Level predates the fix release (approximately October 2022 or earlier), as the integer overflow in SharedMetadata.cpp exists in all prior versions.

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 level that addresses CVE-2022-42533; update to the latest Android version or apply vendor-specific kernel patches for affected devices.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level November 2022 or later (Android 13 and all supported Android versions receive this update)

  1. Check your device's Android Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than the November 2022 Android Security Bulletin, apply the latest available system update for your device
  3. For developers building Android: Ensure you are using the latest Android SDK and platform tools that include the November 2022 security patch level or later
  4. Verify the fix is applied by checking that SharedMetadata.cpp has been updated to properly validate arithmetic operations before memory allocation to prevent integer overflow (bounds checking on size calculations before malloc/calloc operations)
Caveat Minimal risk - security patches are backward compatible; however, ensure testing on your specific device model due to OEM customizations

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2022-42533 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