CVE-2023-20960
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 launchDeepLinkIntentToRight of SettingsHomepageActivity.java, there is a possible way to launch arbitrary activities due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-250589026
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 launchDeepLinkIntentToRight of SettingsHomepageActivity.java in Android Settings, improper input validation allows launching arbitrary activities without user interaction, enabling local privilege escalation.
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= 12.1= 13.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
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Verify Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Confirm the exact version is 12.1 or 13.0.Affected if The device runs Android 12.1 or 13.0 exactly.
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Identify the Settings appGo to Settings > Apps > Settings. Check the package name and version under App info.Affected if The Settings app is the stock Google Android Settings (package: com.android.settings).
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Check Settings app update statusOpen Google Play Store > My apps > Settings. Verify if the latest security patch has been applied.Affected if The Settings app has not received the A-250589026 security patch.
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Confirm deep link handling is presentUse a device audit tool or ADB command 'dumpsys package com.android.settings' to inspect activity intent filters for deep link handling.Affected if The Settings app contains deep link intent filters for launchDeepLinkIntentToRight.
A device is affected if it runs Android 12.1 or 13.0 with the stock Google Settings app that has not received the A-250589026 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 · scopedApply the Google security patch for A-250589026 (Android-12L, Android-13). For custom implementations, add strict input validation on deep link intents before activity launch.
Android 12L/Android 13 with March 2023 security patch level (2023-03-05) or later
- Check your Android device's current security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
- Ensure your device has received the March 2023 security update (2023-03-05 patch level) or later
- If the update is not available from your device manufacturer, consider upgrading to a newer Android version that includes the security patch
- For Android 12L devices, ensure the device receives the 2023-03-05 security patch or later
- For Android 13 devices, ensure the device receives the 2023-03-05 security patch or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20960 — 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-2023-20960 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
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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