CVE-2023-21467
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 · uneditedError in 3GPP specification implementation in Exynos baseband prior to SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 allows incorrect handling of unencrypted message.
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 confidenceVulnerability in Samsung Exynos baseband processors allows incorrect handling of unencrypted 3GPP messages, potentially enabling remote code execution or denial of service via malformed cellular network messages. This stems from an implementation error in the 3GPP specification handling of unencrypted communications.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Identify Exynos baseband processorCheck your device specifications in Settings > About Phone or via 'getprop' command (for Android: run 'getprop ro.board.platform' or 'getprop ro.hardware') to confirm the device uses an Exynos chipsetAffected if The device uses a Samsung Exynos baseband processor (any Exynos model)
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Check baseband firmware versionView the baseband/modem version in Settings > About Phone > Baseband version, or use 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' on Android devicesAffected if Any Exynos baseband version is detected, as all versions are affected per the CVE
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Check Security Maintenance Release (SMR) patch levelView the Security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Info > Security patch level, or use 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'Affected if The Security patch level is earlier than April 2023 (the SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 or later contains the fix)
You are affected if your device uses an Exynos baseband processor and the security patch level is earlier than the April 2023 SMR release, since all Exynos versions contain the vulnerability until patched.
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 · scopedApply the SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 or later security update to affected Exynos baseband devices to remediate this vulnerability.
SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 (April 2023 security patch level or later)
- 1. Identify if the device uses an Exynos baseband/modem (check device specifications or settings > about phone > modem baseband)
- 2. Check the current SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) patch level on the device (Settings > Security > Security update)
- 3. If the device is on a patch level prior to April 2023, verify that an update to SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 or later is available for the specific device model
- 4. Apply the system update containing the SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 security patch or later
- 5. Confirm the security patch level has been updated to April 2023 or later after the update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21467 — 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-2023-21467 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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- 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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