dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20974

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_ble_add_resolving_list_entry_complete of btm_ble_privacy.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-260078907

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

In the btm_ble_add_resolving_list_entry_complete function within Android's Bluetooth stack (btm_ble_privacy.cc), a missing bounds check allows an out-of-bounds read when adding entries to the BLE resolving list. This could expose adjacent memory contents locally without user interaction, requiring System-level privileges to exploit.

MitigationApply the upstream fix by adding proper bounds validation before accessing the resolving list array in btm_ble_add_resolving_list_entry_complete to prevent the out-of-bounds read. This is a code-level fix in the AOSP Bluetooth component.

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. Check Android version is exactly 13.0
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if Version shows 13.0 exactly (not 12, 12L, 13.x with updates, or 14)
  2. Verify Bluetooth is enabled
    Check if Bluetooth is turned on in Settings > Bluetooth, or check the Bluetooth stack is active on the device
    Affected if Bluetooth is enabled - the vulnerability exists in the BLE resolving list functionality which requires Bluetooth to be active
  3. Confirm BLE resolving list functionality is in use
    The vulnerability affects the BLE resolving list API. Check if any app or system service is using Bluetooth LE device filtering or privacy features that populate the resolving list
    Affected if BLE resolving list is being populated - the out-of-bounds read occurs when adding entries to this list in the btm_ble_add_resolving_list_entry_complete function
  4. Verify system-level access exists
    The flaw requires System-level privileges (not just a regular app). Determine if the device has been compromised or if privileged Bluetooth services are in use
    Affected if System-level or privileged access to Bluetooth stack is present - the vulnerability is exploitable only with these elevated privileges

A device is affected if it is running exactly Android 13.0 with Bluetooth enabled and the BLE resolving list feature is in use by a privileged component.

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 upstream fix by adding proper bounds validation before accessing the resolving list array in btm_ble_add_resolving_list_entry_complete to prevent the out-of-bounds read. This is a code-level fix in the AOSP Bluetooth component.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android 13 security patch level (post-March 2023)

  1. Check your device's current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Go to Settings > System > System Update to check for available updates
  3. Download and install the latest Android 13 security update available for your device
  4. Verify the security patch level has been updated to include the fix for Android ID A-260078907
Caveat Security updates for Android typically do not introduce breaking changes; this is a routine monthly security patch

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-2023-20974 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data