dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21167

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-28
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 setProfileName of DevicePolicyManagerService.java, there is a possible way to crash the SystemUI menu due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local denial of service with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-259942964

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 confidence

A missing bounds check in the setProfileName method of DevicePolicyManagerService.java allows a local attacker to crash the SystemUI menu on Android-13 devices. The vulnerability requires no special privileges or user interaction to exploit, resulting in local denial of service.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for the corresponding Android ID (A-259942964) to address the missing bounds check in DevicePolicyManagerService. Device manufacturers should integrate the AOSP fix into their system updates.

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 is 13.0
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Android version shows exactly 13.0 (not 12.x, 14.x, or other variants)
  2. Confirm work profile or managed profile functionality is present
    Check if the device supports or has work profiles enabled: go to Settings > Accounts > Work profile, or inspect for 'android.app.admin.DevicePolicyManager' API usage in installed apps
    Affected if Work profile or managed profile feature is available or configured on the device
  3. Verify DevicePolicyManagerService is running
    Run 'dumpsys device_policy' via ADB shell to confirm the DevicePolicyManager system service is active
    Affected if DevicePolicyManagerService is running and accessible on the device
  4. Check if any app has device admin or profile owner permissions
    Run 'dumpsys device_policy' via ADB and look for listed device admins or profile owners under 'Device Admins' or 'Profile Owners'
    Affected if Any application holds device admin or profile owner privileges on the device

The device is affected if it runs Android version exactly 13.0 and has work profile or DevicePolicyManager functionality enabled, as the missing bounds check in the setProfileName method can be triggered to crash SystemUI.

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 Android security patch for the corresponding Android ID (A-259942964) to address the missing bounds check in DevicePolicyManagerService. Device manufacturers should integrate the AOSP fix into their system updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 with security patch level containing fix for A-259942964 (check Android Security Bulletin)

  1. Check the Android Security Bulletin for the month containing CVE-2023-21167 to identify the specific security patch level (SPL) that contains the fix
  2. Apply the Android 13 security update that includes the fix for Android ID A-259942964
  3. Verify the device has received the security patch level containing the fix by checking Settings > About Phone > Android version or Security patch level
  4. If the device is not receiving updates from the carrier or manufacturer, consider upgrading to a newer Android version if available

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,860
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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-2023-21167 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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