Google has released the May 2023 Android Security Bulletin, giving carriers and device makers a fresh set of patches to install.
Though Google puts out the Android security patches each month, the job of actually getting the fixes to end users falls on the telcos and/or device manufacturers themselves. Those partners vary in their ability to release the patches in a timely fashion.
The Android Security Bulletin contains details of security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices. Security patch levels of 05-05-2023 or later address all of these issues.
A vast majority of the security holes have been assigned a ‘high severity’ rating and they can be exploited for privilege escalation, DoS attacks, and information disclosure.
The vulnerability that was exploited as a zero-day has been described by Google as a moderate-severity kernel flaw that can be exploited for local privilege escalation without user interaction.
The most severe of these issues is a high security vulnerability in the Framework component that could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.
The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are turned off for development purposes or if successfully bypassed.
Alongside the bulletin, Google have released a security update to Google devices through an over-the-air (OTA) update. The Google device firmware images have also been released to the Google Developer site. Security patch levels of May 5, 2023 or later address all of these issues.
The tables below contains a list of security vulnerabilities, the Common Vulnerability and Exposures ID (CVE), the assessed severity, and whether or not Google devices are affected. The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are disabled for development purposes or if successfully bypassed.
Android and Google Service Mitigation’s
This is a summary of the mitigation’s provided by the Android security platform and service protections such as Google Play Protect. These capabilities reduce the likelihood that security vulnerabilities could be successfully exploited on Android.
- Exploitation for many issues on Android is made more difficult by enhancements in newer versions of the Android platform. All users are encouraged to update to the latest version of Android where possible.
- The Android security team actively monitors for abuse through Google Play Protect and warns users about Potentially Harmful Applications. Google Play Protect is enabled by default on devices with Google Mobile Services, and is especially important for users who install apps from outside of Google Play.
Terminology
You will find different types of vulnerabilities listed. Possible types include:
- RCE – Remote code execution
- EoP – Elevation of privilege
- ID – Information disclosure
- DoS – Denial of service
- N/A – Classification not available
01-05-2023 security patch level—Vulnerability details
Framework
The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Updated AOSP versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-39617 | A-175190844 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L |
| CVE-2022-20338 | A-171966843 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L |
| CVE-2023-20993 | A-261588851 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21109 | A-261589597 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21117 | A-263358101 | EoP | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-20914 | A-189942529 | ID | High | 11 |
| CVE-2023-21104 | A-259938771 | ID | High | 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-20930 | A-250576066 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21116 | A-256202273 | EoP | Moderate | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
Frameworks
The vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Updated AOSP versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-21110 | A-258422365 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
System
The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Updated AOSP versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-20444 | A-197296414 | EoP | High | 11, 12 |
| CVE-2023-21107 | A-259385017 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21112 | A-252763983 | ID | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21118 | A-269014004 | ID | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21103 | A-259064622 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21111 | A-256819769 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
Google Play system updates
The following issues are included in Project Mainline components.
| Subcomponent | CVE |
|---|---|
| Permission Controller | CVE-2021-39617, CVE-2023-20914 |
05-05-2023 security patch level—Vulnerability details
Kernel
The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-21102 | A-260821414 Upstream kernel | EoP | High | EFI |
| CVE-2023-21106 | A-265016072 Upstream kernel | EoP | High | GPU |
Kernel components
The vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-0266 | A-265303544 Upstream kernel | EoP | Moderate | Kernel |
Kernel LTS
The following kernel versions have been updated. Kernel version updates are dependent on the version of Android OS at the time of device launch.
| References | Android Launch Version | Kernel Launch Version | Minimum Launch Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-239830686 | 12 | 5.10 | 5.10.136 |
| A-239977583 | 12 | 5.4 | 5.4.210 |
| A-239978386 | 11 | 5.4 | 5.4.210 |
| A-251538603 | 13 | 5.10 | 5.10.136 |
| A-251540658 | 13 | 5.15 | 5.15.72 |
Arm components
These vulnerabilities affect Arm components and further details are available directly from Arm. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Arm.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-4639 | A-267360595 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2022-46395 | A-267357916 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2022-46396 | A-259984805 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2022-46891 | A-260149319 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2023-26085 | A-261701167 | High | Arm NNAPI Driver |
Imagination Technologies
This vulnerability affects Imagination Technologies components and further details are available directly from Imagination Technologies. The severity assessment of this issue is provided directly by Imagination Technologies.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-0877 | A-273754094 | High | PowerVR-GPU |
MediaTek components
These vulnerabilities affect MediaTek components and further details are available directly from MediaTek. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by MediaTek.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-20694 | A-271785766 M-ALPS07733998 | High | preloader |
| CVE-2023-20695 | A-271788841 M-ALPS07734012 | High | preloader |
| CVE-2023-20696 | A-271788842 M-ALPS07856356 | High | preloader |
| CVE-2023-20699 | A-271788844 M-ALPS07696073 | High | adsp |
| CVE-2023-20697 | A-271785768 M-ALPS07589148 | High | keyinstall |
| CVE-2023-20698 | A-271785769 M-ALPS07589144 | High | keyinstall |
| CVE-2023-20726 | A-271785764 M-ALPS07735968 | High | mnld |
Unisoc components
These vulnerabilities affect Unisoc components and further details are available directly from Unisoc. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Unisoc.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-47469 | A-273383823 U-2143205 | High | Kernel |
| CVE-2022-47470 | A-273397872 U-2143207 | High | Kernel |
| CVE-2022-47486 | A-273401256 U-2143210 | High | Kernel |
| CVE-2022-47487 | A-273397882 U-2079517 | High | Android |
| CVE-2022-47488 | A-273409059 U-2064944 | High | Kernel |
Qualcomm components
These vulnerabilities affect Qualcomm components and are described in further detail in the appropriate Qualcomm security bulletin or security alert. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Qualcomm.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-21665 | A-271879598 QC-CR#3400722 | High | Display |
| CVE-2023-21666 | A-271879644 QC-CR#3400780 | High | Display |
Qualcomm closed-source components
These vulnerabilities affect Qualcomm closed-source components and are described in further detail in the appropriate Qualcomm security bulletin or security alert. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Qualcomm.
| CVE | References | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-25713 | A-258057293 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2022-33273 | A-258057450 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2022-33305 | A-258057367 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2022-34144 | A-258057329 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2022-40504 | A-258057235 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2022-40508 | A-258057197 | High | Closed-source component |
Full details of the May 2023 Android Security Bulletin are available here.
