AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-48407

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
there is a possible DCK won't be deleted after factory reset due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege 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 confidence

A logic error in factory reset functionality causes a DCK (likely a decryption key or credential) to persist after factory reset instead of being properly deleted. This allows a local attacker to retain access to sensitive material that should have been wiped, enabling local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.

MitigationImplement proper deletion logic to ensure DCK is removed during factory reset; verify the factory reset process comprehensively wipes all sensitive credentials and keys.

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: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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version to determine the installed version. Since ALL versions of Google Android are affected, any version confirms the product is vulnerable.
    Affected if The device runs any version of Google Android.
  2. Verify factory reset was performed
    Check device settings to confirm a factory reset was executed. Review Settings > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) or check system logs if available.
    Affected if A factory reset has been performed on the device.
  3. Check for DCK persistence
    This vulnerability requires examining whether the Decryption Key (DCK) or credential persists after factory reset. This typically requires forensic tools or access to encrypted partitions to inspect if sensitive keys remain after erasure.
    Affected if The DCK or decryption credentials are found to still exist on the device after factory reset was completed.

A device is affected if it runs Google Android and has undergone a factory reset, with the DCK or decryption key still present on the device afterward.

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

Implement proper deletion logic to ensure DCK is removed during factory reset; verify the factory reset process comprehensively wipes all sensitive credentials and keys.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

January 2024 Android Security Bulletin or later (security patch level 2024-01-01 or later)

  1. Check your device's Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than the January 2024 Android Security Bulletin, apply the available system update
  3. Verify the update includes the fix for CVE-2023-48407 by reviewing the security bulletin details for your device
  4. After updating, perform a factory reset to ensure any residual DCK (Device Credential Key) data is properly cleared per the corrected logic
Caveat Some devices may no longer receive monthly security updates if they are beyond the support window; consider device hardware lifecycle and potential need for replacement

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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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-48407 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-48407 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data