CVE-2023-21084
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 buildPropFile of filesystem.go, there is a possible insecure hash due to an improperly used crypto. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-262892300
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 · moderate confidenceIn buildPropFile of filesystem.go in Android 13, an insecure hash implementation due to improperly used crypto could allow local privilege escalation when System execution privileges are available.
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= 13.0CVSS 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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Verify Android versionCheck system settings or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' to confirm the Android version is exactly 13.0Affected if Android version is 13.0 and the vulnerable code path is present
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Locate buildPropFile functionInspect the filesystem.go file in the Android system or build tooling source code and locate the buildPropFile functionAffected if The buildPropFile function exists in the environment
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Identify hash implementation in buildPropFileReview the crypto/hash calls within buildPropFile to determine which hash algorithm is being usedAffected if An insecure hash algorithm (such as MD5 or SHA-1) is being used instead of SHA-256 or stronger
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Check for System execution privilegesDetermine if the process or context running buildPropFile can obtain System-level execution privileges on the deviceAffected if System execution privileges are attainable, enabling the local privilege escalation attack vector
The environment is affected if running Android 13.0 and the buildPropFile function uses an insecure hash algorithm while the attacker can obtain System execution privileges.
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.
dbcve · scopedReplace the insecure hash algorithm in buildPropFile with a secure cryptographic hash function such as SHA-256 or stronger, and ensure proper implementation of crypto libraries.
Android 13.0 with latest security patch or Android 14
- Check for and install the latest Android system update for your device via Settings > System > Software Update
- Ensure your device has the latest security patch level (Android-13 security updates released after this vulnerability)
- If available for your device, upgrade to Android 14 which contains the fix
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21084 — 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-2023-21084 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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- 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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