dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-21229

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-14
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 registerServiceLocked of ManagedServices.java, there is a possible bypass of background activity launch restrictions due to an unsafe PendingIntent. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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

In registerServiceLocked of ManagedServices.java, an unsafe PendingIntent allows bypassing Android's background activity launch restrictions, enabling local privilege escalation without user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationFix the PendingIntent creation in registerServiceLocked to use proper flags (e.g., FLAG_IMMUTABLE) and ensure background activity launch restrictions are correctly enforced.

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:= 11.0= 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. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The reported version is exactly 11.0 or exactly 13.0
  2. Verify Google Android distribution
    Check the device manufacturer info in Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer, or run 'getprop ro.product.brand' via ADB shell
    Affected if The device runs a Google Android distribution (Pixel, Nexus, or other Google-certified devices)
  3. Confirm system service context
    This vulnerability exists in the ManagedServices system service (registerServiceLocked in ManagedServices.java). No user-accessible configuration exists; detection relies solely on version matching.
    Affected if The Android version matches 11.0 or 13.0 on a Google Android device

A device is affected if it runs Google Android version 11.0 or 13.0, as the vulnerable unsafe PendingIntent exists in those specific versions of the ManagedServices system service.

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

Fix the PendingIntent creation in registerServiceLocked to use proper flags (e.g., FLAG_IMMUTABLE) and ensure background activity launch restrictions are correctly enforced.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 14 or any Android version with security patch level that includes CVE-2023-21229 fix (check Android Security Bulletin for specific month)

  1. 1. Check the current Android version on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Check the current security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
  3. 3. Verify if the device has received the Android security bulletin that includes CVE-2023-21229. This vulnerability was addressed in the Android Security Bulletin - check source.android.com/security-bulletin for the specific month containing the fix
  4. 4. Apply any available system updates that include the security patch addressing this vulnerability
  5. 5. For devices that no longer receive official updates, consider upgrading to a newer Android version that includes the fix (Android 14 and later)
  6. 6. If direct upgrade is not possible, check with the device manufacturer for availability of a security patch containing this fix
Caveat Major Android version upgrade (11 to 14) may introduce UI changes, app compatibility issues, or remove support for older apps

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-2023-21229 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