CVE-2023-21219
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 · uneditedthere is a possible use of unencrypted transport over cellular networks due to an insecure default value. This could lead to remote information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-264698379References: N/A
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in the Android kernel involves an insecure default value that causes unencrypted data transmission over cellular networks. The flaw allows remote information disclosure without requiring user interaction or elevated privileges, as the system defaults to using unencrypted transport for cellular communications.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android Security Patch LevelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level (or Settings > System > Security > Security Patch Level on some devices). Record the date shown.Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the month the CVE-2023-21219 fix was released (the specific month varies by device manufacturer).
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Verify kernel versionRun 'getprop ro.kernel.version' in a terminal app or ADB shell, or check via Settings > About Phone > Kernel Version.Affected if The kernel version predates the fix implementation; compare against publicly available fix commit dates for your Android version branch.
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Confirm cellular data is enabledCheck that mobile/cellular data is turned on in Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network (or Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks).Affected if Cellular data is enabled - this is required for the vulnerable default unencrypted transport to be used for transmissions.
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Check if device receives carrier updatesNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Software Update and check if updates are available or if the device is stuck on an older patch level.Affected if The device shows a Security Patch Level prior to the fix release and has not received manufacturer/carrier updates addressing this CVE.
A user is affected if their Android device has a Security Patch Level older than the fix release date for CVE-2023-21219 and uses cellular data connectivity.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Android security patch that addresses the insecure default value for cellular transport encryption. Users should ensure their devices receive timely kernel and system updates from their device manufacturers.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21219 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-21219 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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