CVE-2023-40081
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 · uneditedIn loadMediaDataInBgForResumption of MediaDataManager.kt, there is a possible way to view another user's images due to a confused deputy. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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 confidenceA confused deputy vulnerability in Android's MediaDataManager (loadMediaDataInBgForResumption function in MediaDataManager.kt) allows a malicious application to potentially access images from another user profile on the same device without additional permissions, leading to local information disclosure.
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= 11.0= 12.0= 12.1= 13.0= 14.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check the Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version and note the exact version number displayedAffected if The version shown is 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, 13.0, or 14.0 exactly as listed in the affected versions
-
Verify the build number matches affected releasesIn Settings > About Phone > Build number, compare the build ID against the Android version release dates for 11.0-14.0Affected if The build corresponds to an unpatched Android 11, 12, 12.1, 13, or 14 release
-
Determine if multiple user profiles exist on the deviceGo to Settings > Users & Accounts > Users (or Settings > System > Multiple users on some devices) and count the number of user profilesAffected if More than one user profile exists on the device, creating the condition this vulnerability exploits
-
Confirm security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level and note the dateAffected if The security patch level is dated before the fix for CVE-2023-40081 (August 2023 or earlier)
A user is affected if their device runs Android 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, 13.0, or 14.0 without the August 2023 or later security update, and has multiple user profiles configured.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply system security updates from Google/Android as patches become available; this is a platform-level vulnerability that cannot be mitigated through configuration changes.
Android 14 or latest Android 13 security patch
- Upgrade the device to Android 14 or later to obtain the security fix
- Alternatively, ensure the device receives the latest monthly security update for Android 13 (security patch level that includes the fix for CVE-2023-40081)
- Verify the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40081 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-40081 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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