dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21174

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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 isPageSearchEnabled of BillingCycleSettings.java, there is a possible way for the guest user to change data limits due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-235822222

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 BillingCycleSettings.java allows guest users to modify data limits that should be restricted to higher-privileged users. The isPageSearchEnabled function fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing data limit modifications, enabling local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided Android security patch for CVE-2023-21174, which adds proper permission validation in BillingCycleSettings.java to enforce access controls for data limit changes.

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
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 is 13.0
    Check the device settings under Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if The Android version displayed is exactly 13.0
  2. Confirm BillingCycleSettings component is present
    Locate the BillingCycleSettings.java file within the Android system or carrier-specific APK package on the device
    Affected if The BillingCycleSettings component exists on the device and contains the isPageSearchEnabled function
  3. Inspect isPageSearchEnabled function for permission validation
    Review the BillingCycleSettings.java source code and examine the isPageSearchEnabled function to determine if it checks user permissions before allowing data limit modifications
    Affected if The isPageSearchEnabled function lacks or has inadequate permission validation checks
  4. Test guest user ability to modify data limits
    From a guest or unprivileged user account on the device, attempt to access and modify data limit settings in the Billing or Network settings area
    Affected if Guest or unprivileged users can successfully modify data limits that should be restricted to higher-privileged users

A device is affected if it runs Android version 13.0, contains the vulnerable BillingCycleSettings component, and lacks proper permission validation in the isPageSearchEnabled function allowing unprivileged users to modify data limits.

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 vendor-provided Android security patch for CVE-2023-21174, which adds proper permission validation in BillingCycleSettings.java to enforce access controls for data limit changes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 with latest security update (Android Security Patch Level addressing CVE-2023-21174 - refer to Android Security Bulletin for specific month)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Go to System > Security & privacy > Security update (or Settings > Software update on some devices)
  3. 3. Check for and install any available system updates
  4. 4. Ensure the device receives the Android security patch level that includes the fix for CVE-2023-21174
  5. 5. After updating, verify the patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version shows the updated security patch date
Caveat Standard Android OS update considerations apply - ensure backups of critical data before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2023-21174 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