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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-32883

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In Engineer Mode, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08282249; Issue ID: ALPS08282249.

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 out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Engineer Mode caused by a missing bounds check. It allows local privilege escalation to System execution privileges without requiring user interaction. The vulnerability is specific to the Engineer Mode diagnostic functionality.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS08282249 to all affected systems running Engineer Mode. Since exploitation requires System-level privileges, prioritize patching systems where Engineer Mode is accessible to lower-privileged users.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Version equals 12.0 or 13.0 exactly (not later versions)
  2. Identify Engineer Mode presence
    Check for Engineer Mode app or diagnostic menu - typically accessed via hidden USSD codes (*#*#3646633#*#* or *#*#83781#*#*) or via Settings > Engineer Mode entry
    Affected if Engineer Mode diagnostic interface is present and accessible on the device
  3. Verify Engineer Mode accessibility
    Attempt to access Engineer Mode or check if it is enabled in Settings > Developer Options or hidden menus. On some devices, check for 'eng' or 'engineermode' in getprop output: 'getprop ro.build.type'
    Affected if Engineer Mode is enabled and can be launched without elevated privileges
  4. Check for vendor patch status
    Check system security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level or via 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'
    Affected if Patch ALPS08282249 has not been applied (security patch level predates the fix)

Device is affected if it runs Android 12.0 or 13.0 and has Engineer Mode diagnostic functionality enabled and accessible without requiring elevated privileges.

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 vendor patch ALPS08282249 to all affected systems running Engineer Mode. Since exploitation requires System-level privileges, prioritize patching systems where Engineer Mode is accessible to lower-privileged users.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 12.0/13.0 with September 2023 security patch level or later (containing MediaTek patch ALPS08282249)

  1. 1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level)
  2. 2. Apply the latest Android security update for Android 12.0 and 13.0 from your device manufacturer
  3. 3. Verify the device has received the September 2023 Android security patch or later, which incorporates the MediaTek patch ALPS08282249
  4. 4. Confirm the fix is applied by checking that the Security Patch Level reflects September 2023 or newer

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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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-2023-32883 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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