dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-42533

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges 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 with USB Gadget Interface prior to SMR Nov-2023 Release 1 allows a physical attacker to execute arbitrary code in Kernel.

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

Improper input validation in the USB Gadget Interface kernel component allows a physically present attacker to send specially crafted USB requests that bypass validation checks and enable arbitrary code execution at kernel privilege level. The vulnerability exists in Samsung Mobile devices prior to the SMR November-2023 release.

MitigationUpdate device firmware to SMR Nov-2023 Release 1 or later which contains the patched USB Gadget driver with proper input validation. Physical access control policies should supplement software updates for high-security environments.

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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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 device manufacturer and model
    Check the device Settings > About Phone to confirm the manufacturer is Samsung
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung mobile device (this CVE only affects Samsung devices)
  2. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version and verify the exact version number
    Affected if Android version is exactly 12.0 or exactly 13.0 (this vulnerability affects only these two specific versions)
  3. Verify USB Gadget Interface is accessible
    Confirm the device has USB functionality enabled and USB Gadget driver is loaded. On Android, this is typically active when USB debugging or USB tethering is enabled. Check via Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging or by connecting a USB device.
    Affected if USB Gadget Interface feature is enabled or accessible on the device (the vulnerability resides in this component)
  4. Check firmware security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information and look for the Build number or Security patch level. Compare the SMR (Samsung Mobile Renderer) version to November-2023.
    Affected if Security patch level is prior to SMR November-2023 Release 1 (the vulnerability was patched in this release)
  5. Confirm physical attack vector applicability
    Evaluate whether the device could be accessed by a physically present attacker with ability to connect malicious USB hardware
    Affected if Device can be physically accessed by untrusted individuals who could connect specially crafted USB devices

A Samsung Android device running exactly version 12.0 or 13.0 with USB Gadget Interface enabled, and with firmware prior to the SMR November-2023 release, is affected by this vulnerability.

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

Update device firmware to SMR Nov-2023 Release 1 or later which contains the patched USB Gadget driver with proper input validation. Physical access control policies should supplement software updates for high-security environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Nov-2023 Release 1 (Security Update)

  1. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Apply the Samsung Security Update SMR Nov-2023 Release 1 through Settings > Software Update > Download and Install
  3. Verify the security patch level shows November 2023 or later after the update

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-42533 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
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