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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-32891

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 bluetooth service, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07933038; Issue ID: MSV-559.

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

Out of bounds write vulnerability in the bluetooth service caused by improper input validation, allowing local privilege escalation from System privileges without user interaction. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input data before memory write operations.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS07933038 which addresses input validation in the bluetooth service; until the patch is available, minimize the attack surface by restricting bluetooth functionality and monitoring for exploitation attempts.

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:= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0
Lr13Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr15Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr16Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr17Operating system
Affected:all versions

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. Identify Android version
    Check the device settings under Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Version equals 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 exactly
  2. Identify Mediatek chipset model
    Check device info via 'getprop ro.mediatek.platform' or 'getprop ro.hardware' via ADB, or review device specifications for Mediatek processor model
    Affected if Chipset model is Lr13, Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 (any version)
  3. Confirm System privilege context
    Determine if the application or process context running the vulnerable code has System-level privileges; on Android, system apps and services run with System UID (1000)
    Affected if Code execution occurs in System privilege context (not user-level) and the Bluetooth service is accessible
  4. Verify Bluetooth service is present
    Check if Bluetooth service is running via 'dumpsys bluetooth_manager' or 'ps -A | grep bluetooth' via ADB, or verify bluetooth.apk exists in /system/app/
    Affected if Bluetooth service is present and active on the device

The device is affected if it runs Android 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 OR uses a Mediatek Lr13/Nr15/Nr16/Nr17 chipset, and the Bluetooth service is accessible from System privilege context.

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 ALPS07933038 which addresses input validation in the bluetooth service; until the patch is available, minimize the attack surface by restricting bluetooth functionality and monitoring for exploitation attempts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android security patch level containing MediaTek fix ALPS07933038 (contact device OEM for specific version)

  1. 1. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to request the security update containing the MediaTek patch for CVE-2023-32891 (Patch ID: ALPS07933038)
  2. 2. Verify your device is running the latest available Android security patch level
  3. 3. Apply the manufacturer's security update once available
  4. 4. Confirm the Bluetooth service has been updated to the patched version
Caveat Patches are cumulative monthly security updates; applying the full update is recommended over individual CVE fixes

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation10.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,140
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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-2023-32891 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