dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-21502

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 FactoryTest application prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to get privilege escalation via debugging commands.

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

Improper input validation in the FactoryTest application on Samsung mobile devices prior to the SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to execute debugging commands for privilege escalation. This is a pre-authentication local vulnerability that enables an attacker with local device access to elevate privileges through the vulnerable FactoryTest component.

MitigationApply the SMR May-2023 Release 1 patch which addresses the improper input validation in the FactoryTest application. Organizations should ensure devices receive monthly security updates and verify patch deployment on affected models.

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:= 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
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. Confirm device is Samsung running Android 12 or 13
    Check the device model and Android version in Settings > About Phone. Verify the manufacturer is Samsung and the Android version is 12.0 or 13.0.
    Affected if The device is a Samsung model running Android 12.0 or 13.0.
  2. Verify FactoryTest application presence
    Check if the FactoryTest app is installed on the device. This is typically a system application found in the app list or via adb shell pm list packages | grep factory.
    Affected if The FactoryTest application is present on the device.
  3. Check device patch level
    Verify the installed security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level. Compare against May 2023.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than May 2023 (SMR May-2023 Release 1).
  4. Confirm debugging or developer options state
    Check if USB debugging is enabled in Settings > Developer Options, or if the device has ADB access available to a local attacker.
    Affected if USB debugging or developer options are enabled, allowing local access to execute commands.

The device is affected if it is a Samsung Android 12.0 or 13.0 device with the FactoryTest application present and a security patch level earlier than May 2023.

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 patch which addresses the improper input validation in the FactoryTest application. Organizations should ensure devices receive monthly security updates and verify patch deployment on affected models.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SMR May-2023 Release 1 or later

  1. 1. Identify the Samsung device model number (found in Settings > About Phone > Model Number)
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update on the Samsung device
  3. 3. Check for and download the May-2023 Samsung Maintenance Release (SMR) update or later
  4. 4. Ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery (recommended above 50%)
  5. 5. Install the update and restart the device
  6. 6. Verify the patch has been applied by confirming the SMR date in Settings > Software Update > SMR version

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-21502 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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