dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21445

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 →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 access control vulnerability in MyFiles prior to versions 12.2.09 in Android R(11), 13.1.03.501 in Android S(12) and 14.1.00.422 in Android T(13) allows local attacker to write file with MyFiles privilege via implicit intent.

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

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Samsung's MyFiles application (file manager). A local attacker can exploit improper access control via implicit intent to write files with MyFiles system-level privileges, potentially allowing them to place malicious files in protected system locations.

MitigationUpdate MyFiles to version 12.2.09 or higher on Android R, 13.1.03.501 or higher on Android S, and 14.1.00.422 or higher on Android T. Organizations should inventory affected Samsung devices and deploy updates via MDM/EMM solutions.

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Confirm MyFiles app is installed
    Run 'adb shell pm list packages | grep com.sec.android.app.myfiles' or check via device management console
    Affected if Package com.sec.android.app.myfiles is present on the device
  2. Retrieve installed MyFiles version
    Run 'adb shell dumpsys package com.sec.android.app.myfiles' and look for versionName/versionCode, or check in Settings > Apps > MyFiles > Version
    Affected if Version is below 12.2.09 on Android R, below 13.1.03.501 on Android S, or below 14.1.00.422 on Android T
  3. Determine Android OS version
    Run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Android version is 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 specifically (not later versions)
  4. Verify implicit intent handling is enabled
    This vulnerability exploits implicit intent handling in MyFiles - the app must be configured to receive implicit intents for file operations. Check if MyFiles has not been updated to disable this vector.
    Affected if MyFiles version is vulnerable AND runs on Android 11, 12, or 13 with implicit intent processing enabled

The device is affected if Samsung MyFiles is installed on Android 11, 12, or 13 with a version lower than the security patches (12.2.09/13.1.03.501/14.1.00.422 respectively).

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 MyFiles to version 12.2.09 or higher on Android R, 13.1.03.501 or higher on Android S, and 14.1.00.422 or higher on Android T. Organizations should inventory affected Samsung devices and deploy updates via MDM/EMM solutions.

Recommended fix High confidence

MyFiles version 12.2.09 (Android R), 13.1.03.501 (Android S), or 14.1.00.422 (Android T)

  1. Open the Samsung device Settings
  2. Navigate to Apps > MyFiles (or Apps & notifications > MyFiles)
  3. Check the current version of MyFiles installed
  4. For Android 11 (R): Update MyFiles to version 12.2.09 or higher
  5. For Android 12 (S): Update MyFiles to version 13.1.03.501 or higher
  6. For Android 13 (T): Update MyFiles to version 14.1.00.422 or higher
  7. Updates can be installed via Galaxy Store or through system software updates

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21445 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-21445 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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