CVE-2023-21147
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 lwis_i2c_device_disable of lwis_device_i2c.c, there is a possible UAF due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-269661912References: 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 · moderate confidenceA Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability exists in the lwis_i2c_device_disable function in lwis_device_i2c.c within the Android kernel. A logic error causes memory to be freed prematurely while still being referenced, allowing a local attacker to potentially achieve privilege escalation by exploiting the dangling pointer.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android Security Patch LevelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level and note the date. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell.Affected if The security patch level is earlier than May 2023 (the month this CVE was fixed in the Android security bulletin).
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Identify Kernel VersionRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' via ADB shell to retrieve the kernel version string.Affected if The kernel version predates the fix for CVE-2023-21147; compare the build date or version against the patched kernel source containing the corrected lwis_i2c_device_disable function.
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Check for lwis Driver PresenceRun 'ls -la /sys/kernel/debug/lwis/' or search for lwis-related device nodes in /dev/ (e.g., 'ls /dev/*lwis*'). Also check 'cat /proc/modules' if the driver is loadable.Affected if The lwis (Light Weight Imaging Subsystem) driver is loaded or present on the device, enabling the vulnerable code path in lwis_device_i2c.c.
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Verify Driver Module DetailsIf the lwis driver is a loadable module, run 'modinfo lwis' or examine the module file for version/build info. Check 'ls -la /sys/module/*lwis*/version' if available.Affected if The driver module version or build date is older than the fix date for this UAF vulnerability.
A user is affected if the device runs Android with a security patch level before May 2023 AND has the lwis driver loaded, as the UAF in lwis_i2c_device_disable requires the vulnerable code path to be present.
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 the Android security patch for CVE-2023-21147 (Android ID A-269661912) from the monthly security bulletin. This is a kernel-level fix requiring kernel source code modification to correct the object lifecycle management in the lwis_i2c_device_disable function.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21147 — 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-2023-21147 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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