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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21198

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 remove_sdp_record of btif_sdp_server.cc, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-245517503

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the remove_sdp_record function within Android's Bluetooth SDP server (btif_sdp_server.cc). The function lacks proper bounds validation before accessing memory, allowing a local attacker to read sensitive information from adjacent memory locations without requiring elevated privileges or user interaction.

MitigationApply a bounds check in the remove_sdp_record function to validate array indices before memory access, ensuring all read operations stay within allocated buffer boundaries.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 system settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shell
    Affected if Version is exactly 13.0 (not 12.x, 14.x, or other variants)
  2. Confirm Bluetooth is enabled
    Check system settings > Bluetooth or run 'settings get global bluetooth_on' in ADB shell
    Affected if Bluetooth is turned on and the SDP server is active
  3. Check if Bluetooth SDP service is running
    Run 'dumpsys bluetooth_manager' or check for btsdp process in process list via 'ps -A | grep btsdp'
    Affected if The Bluetooth SDP server process is running
  4. Inspect remove_sdp_record function source code
    If device has root access or source code is available, examine btif_sdp_server.cc in the Bluetooth framework and verify if bounds validation exists before array access
    Affected if The function lacks proper index bounds checking before memory access

A device is affected if it is running Android version 13.0 with Bluetooth enabled and the SDP server active, as the out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the remove_sdp_record function without bounds validation.

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 a bounds check in the remove_sdp_record function to validate array indices before memory access, ensuring all read operations stay within allocated buffer boundaries.

Recommended fix High confidence

Latest Android 13 security patch level (check Android Security Bulletin for specific month containing CVE-2023-21198)

  1. Ensure the Android 13 device receives the latest monthly security patch update. Go to Settings > Security > Security update and check for available updates.
  2. Apply any pending Android security updates. The fix for this vulnerability (A-245517503) was included in the Android security patch level that addressed the vulnerability.
  3. Verify the device has updated by checking Settings > About Phone > Android version - the Security patch level should be the most recent available for Android 13.

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2023-21198 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
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