CVE-2023-42573
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 · uneditedPendingIntent hijacking vulnerability in Search Widget prior to version 3.4 in China models allows local attackers to access data.
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 confidenceThis is a PendingIntent hijacking vulnerability in the Search Widget application on China-specific mobile device models. PendingIntent allows an app to grant another app the ability to execute code with the original app's permissions. When improperly protected, a malicious local app can intercept or hijack the PendingIntent and execute actions (such as data access) with the Search Widget's elevated privileges.
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< 3.4CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
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Verify Samsung Search Widget is installedUse ADB command: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i 'searchwidget' or check in Settings > Apps for Samsung Search WidgetAffected if The device has the Samsung Search Widget application present
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Retrieve the installed version of Samsung Search WidgetUse ADB command: adb shell dumpsys package <package_name> | grep versionName, or view version in Settings > Apps > Search Widget > App infoAffected if Unable to determine the version indicates potential issue with version detection
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Compare installed version against affected rangeCheck if version number is less than 3.4 (for example, 3.3.x, 3.2.x, etc.)Affected if Installed version is lower than 3.4, indicating the vulnerable version is in use
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Confirm device model is China-specific variantCheck device model number or region settings; this vulnerability affects China-specific mobile device modelsAffected if Device is a China-specific model and runs a Search Widget version below 3.4
Device is affected if Samsung Search Widget is installed with a version lower than 3.4 on a China-specific model device, as the vulnerable unpatched version contains the PendingIntent hijacking flaw.
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 · scoped3.4
Update the Search Widget to version 3.4 or later on affected China model devices. PendingIntent should be created with immutable flags (FLAG_IMMUTABLE) to prevent hijacking.
Search Widget version 3.4
- Open the Galaxy Store or device Settings to check for app updates
- Locate the Search Widget application in the app store or installed apps list
- Check the current installed version of Search Widget
- If the version is lower than 3.4, update the Search Widget to version 3.4 or later
- Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42573 — 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-2023-42573 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
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- 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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