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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21083

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 onNullBinding of CallScreeningServiceHelper.java, there is a possible way to record audio without showing a privacy indicator due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-252762941

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

A permissions bypass in Android's CallScreeningServiceHelper allows audio recording without triggering the privacy indicator that normally notifies users when an app is using the microphone. This local privilege escalation vulnerability enables a malicious app with user execution privileges to capture audio surreptitiously.

MitigationApply Android security updates (2023-03 patch or later) to devices running Android 11-13. Organizations should inventory affected devices and prioritize patching. There are no user-configurable workarounds for this platform-level vulnerability.

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. Verify Android version on device
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Version is 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, or 13.0 (unpatched)
  2. Check installed security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if Patch level is earlier than 2023-03-05 (the vulnerability is present)
  3. For enterprise mobile deployments, inventory fleet Android versions
    Use MDM/EMM software or mobile device management tools to export device inventory reports showing Android OS versions
    Affected if Any devices in the fleet run Android 11-13 without the March 2023 security update

The device is affected if it runs Android 11, 12, 12.1, or 13 and has a security patch level before March 2023, as the privacy indicator bypass in CallScreeningServiceHelper would be present.

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 Android security updates (2023-03 patch or later) to devices running Android 11-13. Organizations should inventory affected devices and prioritize patching. There are no user-configurable workarounds for this platform-level vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Android 14 (or the latest available Android version for your device with November 2023 security patch or later)

  1. 1. Check your device's current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Version > Android version
  2. 2. Check for system updates in Settings > System > System Update > Check for updates
  3. 3. If an update is available, download and install it to receive the security patch that fixes CVE-2023-21083
  4. 4. After updating, verify the security patch level is November 2023 or later (or the latest available for your device)
  5. 5. Confirm the update was applied successfully by checking Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Upgrading to a new major Android version may cause compatibility issues with older apps or require reconfiguration of device settings

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,420
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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-2023-21083 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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