CVE-2023-20916
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 · uneditedIn getMainActivityLaunchIntent of LauncherAppsService.java, there is a possible way to bypass the restrictions on starting activities from the background due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12 Android-12LAndroid ID: A-229256049
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 confidenceIn getMainActivityLaunchIntent of LauncherAppsService.java, a missing permission check allows unprivileged applications to bypass background activity launch restrictions, enabling local privilege escalation without user interaction on Android-12 and Android-12L.
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= 12.0= 12.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if The version shows 12.0 or 12.1 exactly (not 12L or higher versions)
-
Verify security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shellAffected if The security patch level is earlier than the Google fix date for CVE-2023-20916 (no specific date in provided data, but patch should be post-February 2023)
-
Check for apps with QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permissionUse an app permission auditor or run 'dumpsys package' via ADB to list packages holding the QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permissionAffected if Untrusted or unknown third-party apps hold QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission on an affected Android version
The device is affected if it runs Android 12.0 or 12.1 (not 12L or higher) and has not received the corresponding security patch.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedThis is a platform-level vulnerability requiring a security patch from Google. Organizations should ensure devices receive timely Android system updates and monitor for the availability of the CVE-2023-20916 patch in monthly security bulletins.
Android 12/12L with May 2023 security patch level or later
- Check the current Android security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
- Upgrade to a newer Android version or security patch level that includes the fix for CVE-2023-20916
- For Android 12 (API 31) and 12L (API 32) devices, apply the May 2023 or later Android Security Bulletin update which contains the fix for A-229256049
- Verify the update has been applied successfully after restarting the device
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20916 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20916 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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