dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20967

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-19
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 avdt_scb_hdl_pkt_no_frag of avdt_scb_act.cc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds 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-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-225879503

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

This is a memory corruption vulnerability in the Android Bluetooth stack's AVDT (Audio/Video Distribution Transport) protocol handler. In the avdt_scb_hdl_pkt_no_frag function within avdt_scb_act.cc, an incorrect bounds check allows an out-of-bounds write when processing incoming AVDT packets. This enables a local attacker to escalate privileges to those of the Bluetooth service without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level that addresses this vulnerability (contained in Android-11 through Android-13 security updates). This is a server-side fix requiring Android system updates; no user-facing configuration changes are applicable.

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
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. Identify the Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The version is 11, 12, 12.1, or 13 (any subversion) - note that versions outside this range or the fixed versions within this range may not be affected
  2. Check the Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The patch level is earlier than the March 2023 Android security update (or the specific patch date for your Android version that contains the fix) - this indicates the device has not received the CVE fix
  3. Verify Bluetooth is enabled
    Check Settings > Bluetooth, or run 'settings get global bluetooth_on' via ADB
    Affected if Bluetooth is turned ON - the vulnerability exists in the AVDT protocol handler and requires Bluetooth to be active for exploitation
  4. Confirm the device is a Google Android platform
    Run 'getprop ro.product.brand' and 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' via ADB to identify the device OS
    Affected if The device runs a custom ROM, AOSP build, or Android derivative that has not applied Google's March 2023 Bluetooth security patches to avdt_scb_act.cc

The device is affected if it runs Android 11, 12, 12.1, or 13 with a security patch level earlier than the March 2023 update AND has Bluetooth enabled, since the fix is delivered via security updates rather than user-configurable 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 Android security patch level that addresses this vulnerability (contained in Android-11 through Android-13 security updates). This is a server-side fix requiring Android system updates; no user-facing configuration changes are applicable.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 14 or June 2023 Android Security Bulletin patch level

  1. Check your current Android version by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Apply the June 2023 Android Security Bulletin patch level or later. Go to Settings > System > Security update > Security patch level and ensure it shows June 2023 or later
  3. If your device manufacturer has not released the June 2023 security update, contact your device vendor for the specific patch
  4. Alternatively, upgrade to Android 14 if your device is supported, as it contains this security fix
Caveat Android 14 upgrade may remove support for older apps or change device settings; verify app compatibility before upgrading

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
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2023-20967 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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