dbcve.org
SearchwidgetApplication · Samsung

CVE-2023-21518

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.3 or later.
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 access control vulnerability in SearchWidget prior to version 3.3 in China models allows untrusted applications to start arbitrary activity.

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

This is an improper access control vulnerability in the SearchWidget component on China-specific device models. The vulnerability allows any untrusted application to launch arbitrary activities within the SearchWidget application due to missing or insufficient permission checks on the widget's intent handling. An attacker could exploit this to bypass Android's inter-app communication restrictions and potentially escalate privileges or access sensitive functionality.

MitigationUpdate SearchWidget to version 3.3 or later. If immediate updating is not possible, review the widget's AndroidManifest.xml and implement proper permission checks or set appropriate intent filters to prevent unauthorized activity launches.

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
SearchwidgetApplication
Affected:< 3.3

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 China-specific Samsung model
    Check device model number and region settings. China-specific models typically have model numbers ending with '0' or '8' (e.g., SM-G9880) and are locked to Chinese carrier networks. Use 'getprop ro.product.model' or check Settings > About Phone > Model Number.
    Affected if Device is a China-specific Samsung model and SearchWidget is installed
  2. Check if SearchWidget is installed
    Run 'pm list packages | grep searchwidget' via ADB shell or check in Settings > Apps for 'com.samsung.android.app.searchwidget' or similar SearchWidget package.
    Affected if SearchWidget package exists on the device
  3. Verify SearchWidget version
    Run 'dumpsys package com.samsung.android.app.searchwidget | grep versionName' via ADB shell, or check the app version in Settings > Apps > SearchWidget > App info.
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 3.3 (for example, 3.2.x, 3.1.x, etc.)
  4. Confirm vulnerable intent handling is present
    Examine the SearchWidget AndroidManifest.xml for exposed intent filters without proper permission checks. Use 'aapt dump badging /path/to/searchwidget.apk' or decompile the APK and inspect AndroidManifest.xml for activity components with 'android:exported=true' that handle search intents.
    Affected if SearchWidget has exported activity components handling intents without android:permission attribute or custom permission checks

User is affected if they are on a China-specific Samsung model with SearchWidget installed at a version lower than 3.3 that exposes unprotected intent-handling activities.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.3 or later
Fixed in 3.3
Interim mitigation

Update SearchWidget to version 3.3 or later. If immediate updating is not possible, review the widget's AndroidManifest.xml and implement proper permission checks or set appropriate intent filters to prevent unauthorized activity launches.

Recommended fix High confidence

SearchWidget version 3.3

  1. Open the Galaxy Store app on the Samsung device
  2. Search for "SearchWidget" in the Galaxy Store
  3. Locate the SearchWidget application and check if version 3.3 or later is available
  4. Tap Update to install the latest version (3.3 or later)
  5. Alternatively, check for system updates in Settings > Software update to ensure the widget receives the latest patch

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

Fix this in Searchwidget Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21518 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-21518 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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