dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21435

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-09
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
Exposure of Sensitive Information vulnerability in Fingerprint TA prior to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 allows attackers to access the memory address information via log.

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

The Fingerprint Trusted Application (TA) prior to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 exposes sensitive memory address information through logs. This information disclosure could aid attackers in bypassing security mechanisms like ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) by revealing memory layout details, potentially facilitating more effective exploitation of other memory-related vulnerabilities.

MitigationUpdate the Fingerprint TA to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later to patch the vulnerability. Review and disable any logging that outputs memory address information in production builds.

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= 12.0= 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
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. Identify Samsung Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Version is 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 on a Samsung device
  2. Check Fingerprint TA version
    Run 'dmesg | grep -i fingerprint' or check the fingerprint TA binary version via 'tafs list' if TEE debugging is enabled
    Affected if Fingerprint TA version is before SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 (check SMR version via 'getprop ro.build.version.sem')
  3. Examine system logs for memory address leaks
    Run 'logcat -d | grep -iE "(fingerprint|biometric|fp)(0x|[0-9a-f]{8})"' via ADB to search for fingerprint-related logs containing hex addresses
    Affected if Logs contain memory addresses (hex patterns like 0x...) associated with fingerprint service or TA operations
  4. Verify SMR patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.sem' to check the Samsung Maintenance Release version
    Affected if SMR version is earlier than Feb-2023 (value less than SMR Feb-2023)

The environment is affected if running Samsung Android 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 with a Fingerprint TA version before the SMR Feb-2023 Release 1, particularly if logs contain exposed memory addresses.

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

Update the Fingerprint TA to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later to patch the vulnerability. Review and disable any logging that outputs memory address information in production builds.

Recommended fix High confidence

Samsung SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later (any Samsung Android device running Android 11, 12, or 13 with the February 2023 security update)

  1. Navigate to Settings > Security and privacy (or Settings > Biometrics and security) > Security update on your Samsung device
  2. Check the security patch date - verify it shows February 2023 SMR or later (SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or higher)
  3. If not already updated, tap 'Download and install' or check for updates to receive the February 2023 security patch
  4. After installation, confirm the security patch level is SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or newer

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2023-21435 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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