dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-42557

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0 or later.
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
Out-of-bound write vulnerability in libIfaaCa prior to SMR Dec-2023 Release 1 allows local system attackers to execute arbitrary code.

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 libIfaaCa (a biometric authentication library) allowing local attackers with system-level access to execute arbitrary code through memory corruption. This appears to be a local privilege escalation issue in Samsung mobile devices affecting versions prior to the December 2023 SMR release.

MitigationApply the SMR Dec-2023 Release 1 or later security patch, which contains the fix for libIfaaCa. Users should ensure their Samsung devices are updated through official OTA channels.

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, < 14.0= 14.0

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 on the Samsung device
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Confirm the version is 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0.
    Affected if Android version is 12.0 through 14.0 (inclusive)
  2. Identify the device model and SMR patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information. Look for the SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version or Build number. Note the month and year of the security patch.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the December 2023 Release 1 (Dec-2023 SMR)
  3. Confirm libIfaaCa library presence
    Check if the libIfaaCa library exists on the device. This is typically found in system or vendor partitions related to biometric authentication modules. Use a file explorer or adb shell to locate it if present.
    Affected if The libIfaaCa library is present on the device (required for the vulnerability to apply)
  4. Verify biometric authentication feature is configured
    The vulnerability is in the biometric authentication library. Check if biometric features (fingerprint, face, iris) are enrolled or enabled in Settings > Security > Biometrics.
    Affected if Biometric authentication features are enabled or enrolled on the device

A Samsung Android device running version 12.0-14.0 with the libIfaaCa library present and a security patch level before December 2023 Release 1 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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.0 or later
Fixed in 14.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the SMR Dec-2023 Release 1 or later security patch, which contains the fix for libIfaaCa. Users should ensure their Samsung devices are updated through official OTA channels.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Dec-2023 Release 1 (December 2023 security patch level)

  1. Navigate to Settings on the Samsung Android device
  2. Go to Software Update
  3. Tap Download and Install to check for available updates
  4. Locate and install the SMR Dec-2023 Release 1 (December 2023 security patch) update
  5. Ensure the device updates to the December 2023 security patch level which contains the fix for CVE-2023-42557
  6. After installation, verify the patch level under Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level shows December 2023 or later
Caveat Security updates typically have minimal risk; ensure device is charged and back up important data before applying any system 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
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2023-42557 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