dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21184

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 getCurrentPrivilegedPackagesForAllUsers of CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java, there is a possible permission bypass 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-13Android ID: A-267809568

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 logic error in the getCurrentPrivilegedPackagesForAllUsers function of CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java allows a local attacker to bypass carrier privilege checks. The vulnerability enables local privilege escalation without additional execution privileges or user interaction, affecting Android-13 devices.

MitigationApply the Android-13 security patch that addresses this vulnerability. For development environments, ensure Android SDK and framework code are updated to the patched version of CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java.

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 build.prop file or go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. The affected version is exactly 13.0 (API level 33).
    Affected if Android version is 13.0 specifically. Versions before 13.0 and after 13.0 (e.g., 13.0.1, 14.x) are not affected by this specific CVE.
  2. Confirm CarrierPrivilegesTracker component is present
    Check if the CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java class exists in the Android framework. This is typically found in /system/framework/framework.jar or can be inspected via decompiling the framework JAR on the device.
    Affected if The CarrierPrivilegedTracker component is present and contains the vulnerable getCurrentPrivilegedPackagesForAllUsers function.
  3. Check security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB. Compare the date against the Android 13 security patch that addresses CVE-2023-21184.
    Affected if The device has a Security Patch Level date earlier than the patch released for CVE-2023-21184 on Android 13.
  4. Inspect CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java logic
    Decompile or inspect the CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java file from the framework. Look at the getCurrentPrivilegedPackagesForAllUsers function for the logic error that allows bypassing carrier privilege checks.
    Affected if The function contains the unpatched logic that allows privilege escalation via carrier privilege check bypass.

A device is affected if it runs Android version 13.0 exactly AND has not received the security patch addressing CVE-2023-21184, with the vulnerable logic present in the CarrierPrivilegesTracker 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

Apply the Android-13 security patch that addresses this vulnerability. For development environments, ensure Android SDK and framework code are updated to the patched version of CarrierPrivilegesTracker.java.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 13 with latest security patch level (vendor-specific)

  1. Check your Android device's current Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Contact your device manufacturer (Samsung, Google, etc.) or carrier for the availability of the security update that addresses CVE-2023-21184
  3. Apply the latest Android security update once available from your device vendor
  4. Verify the Security Patch Level has been updated after applying the patch

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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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-2023-21184 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