dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21175

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 onCreate of DataUsageSummary.java, there is a possible method for a guest user to enable or disable mobile data 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-262243574

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 DataUsageSummary component allows guest users to enable or disable mobile data through the onCreate method without proper authorization, resulting in local privilege escalation.

MitigationImplement proper permission checks in the DataUsageSummary onCreate method to verify user authorization before allowing mobile data configuration 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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version and confirm the exact version number displays 13.0
    Affected if Android version is exactly 13.0 (the '=' in the affected range indicates an exact match)
  2. Check for multiple user accounts or guest mode
    Go to Settings > System > Multiple users (or Settings > Users & accounts > Users) to see if guest user or secondary user accounts are enabled on the device
    Affected if Multiple user accounts or guest mode is enabled and the device runs Android 13.0
  3. Confirm DataUsageSummary shortcut exists
    In Android Settings, search for 'Data usage' or 'Mobile data' - verify the DataUsageSummary entry point is accessible in the Settings app
    Affected if The DataUsageSummary screen is reachable without additional authentication beyond device unlock
  4. Test guest user mobile data control
    Switch to a guest user account (if enabled), access Settings > Network > Mobile Data, and attempt to toggle mobile data on or off
    Affected if Guest user can successfully enable or disable mobile data without authorization check
  5. Check for device policy restrictions
    Verify if the device has enterprise/MDM policies applied that restrict user access to mobile data settings (check in Settings > Security > Device admin or Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network)
    Affected if No device policy restrictions are applied and conditions from steps 1-4 are met

A user is affected if the device runs Android 13.0 and has guest or multiple user accounts enabled, allowing unauthorized mobile data control through the DataUsageSummary component.

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

Implement proper permission checks in the DataUsageSummary onCreate method to verify user authorization before allowing mobile data configuration changes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 14 (or latest Android 13 security patch level)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > System Update) on the affected Android device.
  2. 2. Check for available system updates by selecting 'Check for updates' or 'Download updates manually'.
  3. 3. If Android 14 is available, download and install the update. This will include the fix for CVE-2023-21175 in the DataUsageSummary component.
  4. 4. After the update completes, verify the device is running Android 14 (Settings > About Phone > Android version).
  5. 5. Alternatively, if Android 14 is not yet available for your device, ensure the device has the latest Android 13 security patch level installed by checking Settings > About Phone > Security patch level.
Caveat Upgrading to Android 14 may introduce UI changes and some apps may have compatibility issues; review app compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-21175 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