dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20634

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-07
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 widevine, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07635697; Issue ID: ALPS07635697.

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

In Widevine (Google's DRM component), an out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists due to improper input validation. This memory corruption issue can be exploited locally to escalate privileges to System level without requiring user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor patch ALPS07635697 to the affected Widevine component. Since this is a media/DRM component, ensure the patch is integrated through the device manufacturer's firmware update process.

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:= 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. Identify the Android version
    On the Android device, go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The version shown is 11.0 or 12.0, indicating the device falls within the affected version range
  2. Confirm Widevine DRM is present
    Check if Widevine is available on the device. This can be verified by looking for Widevine-related files in /system/lib/ or /vendor/lib/, or by checking DRM info via 'dumpsys media.drm' in ADB shell
    Affected if Widevine DRM component is present on the device, meaning the vulnerable component exists in the system
  3. Determine Widevine security level
    Run 'widevine_diagnostic info' via ADB shell if available, or check DRM property via 'getprop ro.widevine.level' to see the security level configured
    Affected if Widevine is enabled and set to any security level (L1, L2, or L3), as the vulnerability exists in the Widevine component itself regardless of security level
  4. Check if device has the vendor patch
    Look for the ALPS07635697 patch in the system by checking build fingerprints or patch timestamps via 'getprop' commands, or verify the Widevine library version if obtainable from /system/lib/libwidevine*
    Affected if The patch ALPS07635697 is not present in the system build, meaning the vulnerability remains unpatched

The device is affected if it runs Android 11.0 or 12.0 with the Widevine DRM component present and the ALPS07635697 patch has not been applied.

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 vendor patch ALPS07635697 to the affected Widevine component. Since this is a media/DRM component, ensure the patch is integrated through the device manufacturer's firmware update process.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device via Settings > About Phone > Android version or Settings > Security > Security patch level
  2. Apply the latest Android system update containing the December 2023 or later security patch (which includes patch ID ALPS07635697)
  3. Verify the patch was applied successfully by confirming the updated security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  4. For enterprise or OEM-managed devices, ensure the device receives the MediaTek-specific security update containing the Widevine fix

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2023-20634 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