dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21501

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Improper input validation vulnerability in mPOS fiserve trustlet prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code.

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 confidence

Improper input validation vulnerability in the fiserve trustlet (a Trusted Execution Environment application) on mPOS devices allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code within the TEE context. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 and enables a local attacker to potentially escalate privileges by injecting malicious input to the trustlet.

MitigationApply the SMR May-2023 Release 1 firmware update to affected mPOS devices to patch the vulnerable trustlet. Verify that all deployed mPOS units are running the patched firmware version.

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:= 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
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if the device is an mPOS device
    Check the device model number and product name in Settings > About Phone. mPOS devices are typically Samsung models designed for payment processing. Consult device documentation or Samsung's product catalog to confirm the device is an mPOS unit.
    Affected if The device is a Samsung mPOS device running Android 13.0
  2. Verify the Android version is 13.0
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Confirm the installed Android version is exactly 13.0. Note that this vulnerability affects Android 13.0 specifically.
    Affected if Android version shows 13.0 exactly
  3. Check the Samsung Maintenance Release (SMR) version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Build number. The SMR version is encoded in the build number (e.g., SMR-xx). For May-2023 Release 1, look for SMR version May-2023 or later. Compare your build number against Samsung's SMR release timeline.
    Affected if The SMR version is prior to May-2023 Release 1 (vulnerable), or the SMR version cannot be determined from the build information
  4. Confirm the fiserve trustlet is present
    If TEE debugging is enabled, use tee-supplicant or relevant TEE debugging tools to list loaded trustlets. The fiserve trustlet handles payment operations on mPOS devices. Consult device manufacturer documentation for TEE inspection methods.
    Affected if The fiserve trustlet is loaded and the SMR is prior to May-2023 Release 1

A Samsung mPOS device running Android 13.0 with an SMR version earlier than May-2023 Release 1 is affected by this vulnerability.

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 SMR May-2023 Release 1 firmware update to affected mPOS devices to patch the vulnerable trustlet. Verify that all deployed mPOS units are running the patched firmware version.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the Samsung device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
  2. Verify if SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) May-2023 Release 1 or later is available for the specific device model
  3. If an update is available, download and install the May-2023 SMR or later security update
  4. After installation, confirm the security patch level reflects May-2023 or later to verify the vulnerability is addressed

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,600
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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-2023-21501 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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