CVE-2023-21070
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 add_roam_cache_list of wl_roam.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-254028776References: N/A
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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Android kernel's Wi-Fi driver (wl_roam.c). The add_roam_cache_list function lacks a bounds check before writing to a buffer, allowing an out-of-bounds write that could enable a local attacker with System-level execution privileges to escalate privileges further. No user interaction is required for exploitation.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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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Check Android Security Patch LevelGo to Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level. Alternatively, run `adb shell settings get secure android_patch_level`Affected if The patch level is earlier than the October 2023 Android Security Bulletin (or the specific bulletin that fixed CVE-2023-21070)
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Check Kernel VersionRun `adb shell uname -a` or go to Settings > About Phone > Kernel versionAffected if The kernel version is older than the version that includes the fix for this vulnerability (refer to Android Security Bulletin for the specific kernel version)
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Identify Wi-Fi Driver ModuleRun `adb shell lsmod` to list loaded kernel modules. Look for modules containing 'wl' such as 'wl12xx', 'wlcore', 'bcmdhd', or similar Broadcom Wi-Fi driver modulesAffected if A Broadcom Wi-Fi driver module (wl_roam) is loaded and the kernel/security patch is unpatched
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Verify Device Manufacturer Update StatusCheck with your device manufacturer (Samsung, Google, etc.) to confirm if your specific device model has received the Android security update containing the fix for CVE-2023-21070Affected if The manufacturer has not released or applied the security update containing the fix for this CVE to your device model
Your device is likely affected if it has an older Android security patch level (before the fix was released) AND uses a Broadcom Wi-Fi driver with the vulnerable wl_roam.c component.
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.
From vendor dataApply Android kernel security updates that address this vulnerability. Since this is a kernel driver issue, users should ensure their devices receive the latest Android security patch level from their device manufacturer.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21070 — 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-2023-21070 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
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