dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20908

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
57/100
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 several functions of SettingsState.java, there is a possible system crash loop due to resource exhaustion. This could lead to local denial of service 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-239415861

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 resource exhaustion vulnerability in SettingsState.java within the Android Settings application allows a local attacker to cause a system crash loop without requiring any privileges or user interaction. The issue affects multiple functions in the SettingsState class and leads to denial of service.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Google for Android IDs A-239415861. The fix requires code changes in SettingsState.java to implement proper resource limits and prevent the crash loop condition.

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 The version is exactly 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0
  2. Confirm stock Settings app is in use
    Verify the Settings app package is 'com.android.settings' (check via Settings > Apps > Settings app package name, or run 'pm list packages settings' via ADB)
    Affected if The package is com.android.settings and has not been replaced by a third-party or patched OEM variant
  3. Check if device received vendor patch
    Check the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level (or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB)
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the vendor fix date for A-239415861 (the patch date varies by Android version)

A device is affected if it runs Android 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 with the stock Settings app and has not yet received the Google security patch addressing A-239415861.

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 from Google for Android IDs A-239415861. The fix requires code changes in SettingsState.java to implement proper resource limits and prevent the crash loop condition.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 or April 2023 security patch level (2023-04-05) for your respective Android version

  1. Check your device's current Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. For Android 10 devices: Upgrade to Android 10 with the April 2023 security patch level or later
  3. For Android 11 devices: Upgrade to Android 11 with the April 2023 security patch level or later
  4. For Android 12/12.1 devices: Upgrade to Android 12L or Android 13 which contain the fix
  5. If direct upgrade is not available, check for and install the April 2023 security update (2023-04-05 or later) from your device manufacturer
  6. Verify the patch level has been applied in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Upgrading Android version may reset some device settings; ensure data is backed up before proceeding

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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20908 — 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-2023-20908 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