dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21474

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
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
Intent redirection vulnerability in SecSettings prior to SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 allows attackers to access arbitrary file with system privilege.

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 an Intent redirection vulnerability in Samsung's SecSettings (Security Settings) component. The flaw allows a malicious app to intercept or redirect intents, enabling unauthorized access to arbitrary files on the device with system-level privileges. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to the April 2022 Samsung Monthly Release (SMR).

MitigationApply the Samsung SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later security patch to affected Galaxy devices. This is a firmware-level fix that must come from Samsung's official security update.

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
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Verify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version and record the displayed version number
    Affected if Version is 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0
  2. Check Samsung Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level and record the date displayed
    Affected if Patch level is dated before April 2022 (e.g., March 2022, February 2022, or earlier)
  3. Confirm SecSettings component presence
    Check if the SecSettings (Security Settings) application or component is installed on the device by reviewing installed system apps
    Affected if SecSettings component exists on the device and versions in steps 1-2 are affected

Device is affected if it runs Android 11, 12, or 13 with a Samsung security patch level earlier than April 2022 and has the SecSettings component present

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

Apply the Samsung SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later security patch to affected Galaxy devices. This is a firmware-level fix that must come from Samsung's official security update.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later

  1. Check your current Samsung device model and its available security update schedule
  2. Navigate to Settings > Software update on your Samsung device
  3. Check for and install the latest Samsung Security Maintenance Release (SMR) patch
  4. Ensure the installed patch is SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later to address CVE-2023-21474
  5. If the update is not available for your device model, contact Samsung support or your device carrier for further guidance

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2023-21474 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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