CVE-2023-21302
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 · uneditedIn Package Manager, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to side channel information disclosure. This could lead to local information disclosure 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 confidenceIn Android's Package Manager, a side-channel information disclosure allows an attacker to determine whether a specific app is installed on the device without requiring query permissions. This privacy leak exploits timing or other indirect channels in package enumeration, enabling local information disclosure without any special privileges or user interaction.
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< 14.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADBAffected if The reported version is less than 14.0 (Android 14)
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Verify patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADBAffected if The security patch level is earlier than 2023-04-01
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Check package visibility controls (Android 11+)On Android 11+, verify if apps have QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission or if package visibility is properly scoped via <queries> element in AndroidManifest.xmlAffected if The device runs Android 11+ but has apps with QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission without proper scoping
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Audit installed apps for overprivileged package queriesReview installed applications for QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission usage, especially for non-system appsAffected if Third-party apps hold QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission enabling broad package enumeration
A device is affected if it runs Android version below 14.0 and has not received the 2023-04-01 security patch, combined with apps capable of enumerating installed packages.
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.
dbcve · scoped14.0
Apply Android security patches (specifically the 2023-04-01 patch level or later); for enterprise mobile device management, enforce system updates and consider restricting package visibility via runtime permissions on Android 11+.
Android 14.0 (UPSIDE_DOWN_CAKE) or later
- Verify the current Android version on the device by going to Settings > About Phone
- Check if Android 14.0 (UPSIDE_DOWN_CAKE) update is available for your device via Settings > System > Software Update
- If update is available, download and install the Android 14.0 update or later security patch level
- If no OTA update is available, consider obtaining a factory image from the device manufacturer's official support channels
- After update, verify the Android version is 14.0 or higher and confirm the security patch level includes the April 2023 bulletin or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,336.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21302 — 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-2023-21302 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