CVE-2023-21493
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 · uneditedImproper access control vulnerability in SemShareFileProvider prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to access protected data.
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 confidenceImproper access control vulnerability in Samsung's SemShareFileProvider component allows local attackers to bypass intended restrictions and access protected data. This is a privilege separation issue in the file sharing implementation prior to the May 2023 security patch.
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= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Samsung Android deviceCheck device manufacturer and model through Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer (should be Samsung) and verify Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if Device is not a Samsung Android device running version 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0
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Check security patch levelNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. The vulnerability exists if the patch level is earlier than May 2023 (typically shown as 'May 1, 2023' or later)Affected if Security patch level is before May 2023 on Android 11, 12, or 13
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Verify SemShareFileProvider component statusCheck for the presence of SemShareFileProvider component via ADB: 'adb shell pm list packages | grep sems' or inspect app permissions for any app using file sharing functionality that invokes SemShareFileProviderAffected if SemShareFileProvider is present and accessible on an unpatched device
A Samsung Android device running version 11, 12, or 13 with a security patch level before May 2023 is affected by this improper access control vulnerability in SemShareFileProvider.
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 Samsung SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later security update to affected devices. For organizations, ensure mobile device management policies enforce timely security patch deployment.
SMR May-2023 Release 1 (May 2023 Samsung Security Patch)
- 1. Check current Android security patch level on the Samsung device: Go to Settings > About phone > Software information > Security patch level
- 2. Verify if the device has received the May-2023 security update (SMR May-2023 Release 1)
- 3. If not updated, check for available system updates: Go to Settings > Software update > Download and install
- 4. Apply any pending Samsung security updates to receive the fix for the SemShareFileProvider vulnerability
- 5. After updating, verify the security patch level shows May-2023 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21493 — 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-2023-21493 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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