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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20972

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 btm_vendor_specific_evt of btm_devctl.cc, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local information disclosure with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-255304665

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 an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Android Bluetooth stack (btm_devctl.cc) within the vendor-specific event handler function (btm_vendor_specific_evt). Due to a missing bounds check, the code can read beyond the intended buffer boundaries when processing vendor-specific Bluetooth events, leading to local information disclosure. Exploitation requires System-level privileges but no user interaction.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level that includes the fix for A-255304665. Since this is a vulnerability in the AOSP Bluetooth implementation, organizations should ensure devices receive timely Android system updates and may need to work with device OEMs if direct AOSP updates are unavailable.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The device is running Android 13.0 exactly (not 13.0.x, not 12.x, not 14.x)
  2. Check security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the update containing fix A-255304665 (i.e., the device has not received the relevant Android security update)
  3. Confirm Bluetooth is enabled with vendor-specific event support
    Ensure Bluetooth is turned on and the device uses vendor-specific Bluetooth extensions (common on devices with custom Bluetooth stacks from OEMs like Qualcomm, MediaTek, or custom ROMs)
    Affected if Bluetooth is enabled and the device processes vendor-specific Bluetooth events from external devices

A device is affected if it runs exactly Android 13.0, has not received the security patch containing fix A-255304665, and has Bluetooth enabled with vendor-specific event handling active.

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 includes the fix for A-255304665. Since this is a vulnerability in the AOSP Bluetooth implementation, organizations should ensure devices receive timely Android system updates and may need to work with device OEMs if direct AOSP updates are unavailable.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13.0.1 or later (or Android 14 if available for the device)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Go to System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > Software Update)
  3. 3. Check for and install any available system updates
  4. 4. Ensure the device is running Android 13.0.1 or later, or ideally Android 14 if the device is eligible for the upgrade
  5. 5. After updating, verify the Android Security Patch Level is set to May 2023 or later (which contains the fix for this vulnerability)
Caveat Minor: Some device settings or pre-installed apps may have UI changes in Android 14; 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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2023-20972 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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
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