CVE-2023-21500
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 · uneditedDouble free validation vulnerability in setPinPadImages in mPOS TUI trustlet prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to access the trustlet memory.
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 confidenceA double-free validation vulnerability exists in the setPinPadImages function within the mPOS TUI trustlet (a Trusted Execution Environment application used for secure PIN entry in mobile point-of-sale systems). The flaw allows local attackers to trigger a double-free condition, enabling them to read or manipulate trustlet memory contents.
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= 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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Verify Android OS versionCheck the device's Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version. Confirm it is exactly 13.0.Affected if The Android version is exactly 13.0. Versions before or after 13.0 are not affected by this specific CVE.
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Identify mPOS TUI trustlet presenceDetermine if the device runs Samsung's mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) TUI trustlet. This is a Trusted Execution Environment application used for secure PIN entry in mobile POS systems. Check device documentation or system components for trustlet modules.Affected if The device has the mPOS TUI trustlet installed and active. This trustlet handles secure PIN pad display for payment transactions.
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Check security patch levelReview the device's installed security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. This indicates whether the May-2023 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) has been applied.Affected if The security patch level is earlier than May-2023, meaning the device has not received the SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later which contains the corrected trustlet.
A user is affected if their Samsung Android device runs version 13.0, has the mPOS TUI trustlet present, and has a security patch level earlier than the May-2023 SMR Release 1.
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's SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later security patch, which contains the corrected trustlet with proper memory free validation. Organizations should verify that affected mobile POS devices are running the patched firmware version.
Samsung SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later
- Check current Android version on the device
- Navigate to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > Software Update)
- Check for available updates
- Install the May-2023 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) update or newer
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21500 — 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-2023-21500 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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