dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20927

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-15
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 permissions of AndroidManifest.xml, there is a possible way to grant signature permissions due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-244216503

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

This is a permissions bypass vulnerability in Android 13's permission system within AndroidManifest.xml processing. The flaw allows unprivileged applications to improperly grant 'signature' level permissions, which are normally only assignable to apps sharing the same signing certificate as the system. This enables local privilege escalation without any user interaction.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for Android 13 (via Google monthly security update). Organizations should ensure mobile device management (MDM) policies enforce timely system updates and verify patch deployment across managed Android fleets.

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:= 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
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. Verify the Android version
    Check the device Android version via Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run `adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release`
    Affected if The version is exactly 13.0 (any build number)
  2. Confirm Android 13 build type
    Run `adb shell getprop ro.build.version.incremental` to see the full build identifier
    Affected if The base Android version shows 13 without a higher minor version (e.g., 13.0.1 or 13.1)
  3. Check for signature-level permission grants
    Use `adb shell dumpsys package <package_name>` to inspect permission grants for suspicious apps, looking for android.permission.* permissions marked as granted where the protection level includes 'signature'
    Affected if Apps that are not signed with the system certificate have been granted signature-level permissions
  4. Review installed apps for anomalies
    Run `adb shell pm list packages -3` to list third-party apps and cross-check against your organization's approved app list
    Affected if Unknown or unauthorized third-party apps are installed that may have exploited this vulnerability

A device is affected if it runs Android 13.0 exactly and has not received the Google security patch for this CVE; check the Android version first as the primary indicator.

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 for Android 13 (via Google monthly security update). Organizations should ensure mobile device management (MDM) policies enforce timely system updates and verify patch deployment across managed Android fleets.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 with security patch level 2023-03 or later

  1. Ensure your Android 13 device receives and installs the latest security patch update from your device manufacturer
  2. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Security update on your Android device
  3. Verify the security patch level is March 2023 (2023-03) or later
  4. If an update is available, download and install it immediately
  5. After updating, verify the fix by checking Settings > About phone > Android security patch level shows March 2023 or later
Caveat Security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; this is a critical bug fix that should be applied as soon as possible

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,220
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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-2023-20927 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