CVE-2023-21328
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 Installer, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to a missing permission check. 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 confidenceIn Android's Package Installer, a missing permission check allows local attackers to determine whether specific applications are installed without proper query permissions. This information disclosure enables local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if Android version is below 14.0 (versions 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 are affected)
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Verify device runs Google AndroidCheck the build fingerprint via 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' or 'getprop ro.product.brand' - look for 'google' or 'Android' in the build informationAffected if Device is a Google Android device (the CVE specifically affects Google Android, not all Android forks)
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Confirm Package Installer is presentVerify the Package Installer system app exists - check /system/app/PackageInstaller/ or /system/priv-app/PackageInstaller/ directories, or look for it in Settings > Apps > AllAffected if Package Installer is present (this is the default system component containing the vulnerability)
Device is affected if it runs Google Android versions below 14.0, since the vulnerable Package Installer component is present by default in all such installations and requires only the missing permission check flaw to exploit.
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 system updates from device manufacturers once available, as this is a platform-level vulnerability in the Package Installer component requiring OS-level patches.
Android 14.0
- Verify the current Android version on the device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
- Check if your device manufacturer has released Android 14.0 (or a security patch that addresses CVE-2023-21328) for your specific device model
- If Android 14.0 is available, back up all important data on the device
- Initiate the system update through Settings > System > Software Update > Check for updates
- Install the Android 14.0 update and ensure the device restarts successfully
- Verify the device is now running Android 14.0 or has received the relevant security patch
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,672.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21328 — 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-2023-21328 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