dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21439

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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
Improper input validation vulnerability in UwbDataTxStatusEvent prior to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 allows attackers to launch certain activities.

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 confidence

This is an improper input validation vulnerability in Samsung's Ultra-Wideband (UWB) subsystem, specifically in the UwbDataTxStatusEvent component. The vulnerability allows attackers to potentially execute certain malicious activities due to insufficient validation of input data in UWB data transmission status events. The issue affects Samsung mobile devices running software versions prior to the February 2023 Security Maintenance Release (SMR).

MitigationUpdate Samsung mobile devices to the SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later, which contains the patch for this vulnerability. As this is a Samsung firmware-level issue, no manual configuration is available as a workaround.

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:= 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
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 the Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Verify if the version is 12.0 or 13.0.
    Affected if The device is running Android 12.0 or 13.0, as these are the affected versions.
  2. Check the Samsung SMR version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build number. Look for the SMR (Security Maintenance Release) label, such as SMR-XX-2023 or SMR-Feb-2023.
    Affected if The device has not received the February 2023 SMR update or later, meaning the patch is missing.
  3. Determine if the device supports UWB
    Check the device specifications or settings for Ultra-Wideband support. On Samsung devices, UWB may appear in Settings > Connections > UWB, or under Quick Settings if the device has UWB hardware.
    Affected if The device has UWB hardware and the feature is present, as the vulnerability exists in the UWB subsystem.
  4. Verify UWB status
    If UWB settings are accessible, check whether UWB is enabled. Note that even if disabled, the vulnerable code may still be present in the firmware.
    Affected if The device has UWB capability and runs the vulnerable software versions.

The device is affected if it is a Samsung device running Android 12.0 or 13.0 that has not received the February 2023 Security Maintenance Release update, regardless of whether UWB is currently enabled.

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 Samsung mobile devices to the SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later, which contains the patch for this vulnerability. As this is a Samsung firmware-level issue, no manual configuration is available as a workaround.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung devices: Update to SMR Feb-2023 Release 1 or later (Android 12.0/13.0)

  1. Identify if the device is a Samsung Galaxy device running Android 12.0 or 13.0
  2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update on the Samsung device
  3. Tap 'Download and install' to check for available updates
  4. Select and install the February 2023 Samsung Security Update (SMR Feb-2023 Release 1) or later
  5. After installation, verify the patch was applied by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and confirming the Security patch level is February 2023 or newer
Caveat Security patches typically have minimal compatibility impact; ensure device is charged and back up critical data before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,100
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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-2023-21439 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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
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