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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20910

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-24
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 add of WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.java, there is a possible way to trigger permanent DoS 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.

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

In the add function of WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.java on Android, a vulnerability allows a local attacker to cause permanent denial of service through resource exhaustion. The flaw enables a malicious app or process to repeatedly add network suggestions without proper limits, eventually exhausting system resources and rendering WiFi functionality unusable.

MitigationApply the latest Android security patch (distributed via device manufacturer firmware updates) which contains the fix for CVE-2023-20910. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates.

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= 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. Verify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone and note the Android version. Alternatively, run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' via Android Debug Bridge.
    Affected if The version is 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 exactly. Versions outside this range or newer patch levels are not affected by this specific CVE.
  2. Inspect current WiFi network suggestions
    Run 'adb shell cmd wifi list-suggestions' to display all registered network suggestions, or use a mobile device management (MDM) tool to query the WifiNetworkSuggestionsManager.
    Affected if There is an unusually high number of network suggestions (dozens to hundreds) that were not intentionally added by the user, indicating resource exhaustion may have begun.
  3. Check for rapid suggestion addition events
    Run 'adb logcat -d | grep -i "WifiNetworkSuggestions"' to review system logs for repeated 'add' operation entries.
    Affected if Logs show a rapid succession of suggestion add events from the same package, suggesting ongoing exploitation.
  4. Assess WiFi functionality
    Attempt to enable WiFi, scan for networks, or connect to a known network. Note any failures, extreme slowness, or crashes in the WiFi settings.
    Affected if WiFi is unresponsive, crashes, or fails to operate despite having hardware capability, potentially due to resource exhaustion from the vulnerability.

A device is affected if it runs Android 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 AND exhibits symptoms of resource exhaustion such as excessive network suggestions, repeated log events, or non-functional WiFi settings.

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 latest Android security patch (distributed via device manufacturer firmware updates) which contains the fix for CVE-2023-20910. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates.

Recommended fix High confidence

April 2023 Android Security Patch Level (or later). Specific versions: Android 13.0.3+, Android 12L with March/April 2023 patch

  1. Check the current Android version and security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. Ensure the device receives and installs the April 2023 Android Security Patch or later
  3. For Android 13.0 devices, upgrade to Android 13.0.3 or later which contains the April 2023 security patch
  4. For Android 12.0/12.1 devices, ensure the device has the March 2023 or April 2023 security update applied
  5. For Android 11.0 devices, ensure the device has the April 2023 security update applied
  6. If the device manufacturer has not released the security update, consider upgrading to a device model that receives regular security updates
Caveat Upgrading to newer Android versions (13.0.3) should not introduce breaking changes; this is a security patch update. However, verify app compatibility on older devices (Android 11) before deploying broadly.

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
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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-2023-20910 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