Google has released the July 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 05-07-2023 or later address all of these issues.
The most severe of these issues is a critical security vulnerability in the System component that could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not 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.
The update addresses 46 new software vulnerabilities. Among these, three vulnerabilities have been identified as actively exploited in targeted attacks.
One of the vulnerabilities tracked as CVE-2023-26083 is a memory leak flaw affecting the Arm Mali GPU driver for Bifrost, Avalon, and Valhall chips. This particular vulnerability was exploited in a previous attack that enabled spyware infiltration on Samsung devices in December 2022.
This vulnerability was regarded as serious enough to prompt the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to issue a patching order for federal agencies in April 2023.
Another significant vulnerability, identified as CVE-2021-29256, is a high-severity issue that affects specific versions of the Bifrost and Midgard Arm Mali GPU kernel drivers. This flaw permits an unprivileged user to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and escalate privileges to the root level.
The third exploited vulnerability, CVE-2023-2136, is a critical-severity bug discovered in Skia, Google’s open-source multi-platform 2D graphics library. It was initially disclosed as a zero-day vulnerability in the Chrome browser and allows a remote attacker who has taken over the renderer process to perform a sandbox escape and implement remote code on Android devices.
Besides these, Google’s July Android security bulletin highlights another critical vulnerability, CVE-2023-21250, affecting the Android System component. This issue can cause remote code execution without user interaction or additional execution privileges, making it particularly precarious.
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 July 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
01-07-2023 security patch level—Vulnerability details
Framework
The most severe vulnerability in this section could allow possible elevation of privilege due to a confused deputy with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Updated AOSP versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-20918 | A-243794108 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-20942 | A-258021433 | EoP | High | 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21145 | A-265293293 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21245 | A-222446076 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21251 | A-204554636 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21254 | A-254736794 | EoP | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-21257 | A-257443065 | EoP | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-21262 | A-279905816 | EoP | High | 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21238 | A-277740848 | ID | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21239 | A-274592467 | ID | High | 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21249 | A-217981062 | ID | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-21087 | A-261723753 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
System
The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Updated AOSP versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-21250 | A-261068592 | RCE | Critical | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-2136 | A-278113033 | RCE | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-21241 | A-271849189 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21246 | A-273729476 | EoP | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21247 | A-277333781 | EoP | High | 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21248 | A-277333746 | EoP | High | 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21256 | A-268193384 | EoP | High | 13 |
| CVE-2023-21261 | A-271680254 | ID | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-20910 | A-245299920 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21240 | A-275340417 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
| CVE-2023-21243 | A-274445194 | DoS | High | 11, 12, 12L, 13 |
Google Play system updates
The following issues are included in Project Mainline components.
| Subcomponent | CVE |
|---|---|
| WiFi | CVE-2023-20910, CVE-2023-21240, CVE-2023-21243 |
05-07-2023 security patch level—Vulnerability details
Kernel
The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to local escalation of privilege in the kernel with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
| CVE | References | Type | Severity | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-42703 | A-253167854 Upstream kernel | EoP | High | MemoryManagement |
| CVE-2023-21255 | A-275041864 Upstream kernel | EoP | High | Binder |
Kernel components
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 | Subcomponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-25012 | A-268589017 Upstream kernel | EoP | High | HID |
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-2021-29256 | A-283489460 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2022-28350 | A-226921651 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2023-28147 | A-274005916 | High | Mali |
| CVE-2023-26083 | A-272073598 | Moderate | Mali |
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-2021-0948 | A-281905774 | 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-2023-20754 | A-280380543 M-ALPS07563028 | High | keyinstall |
| CVE-2023-20755 | A-280374982 M-ALPS07510064 | High | keyinstall |
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-2023-21672 | A-276751075 QC-CR#3313322 | High | Audio |
| CVE-2023-22386 | A-276750584 QC-CR#3355665 | High | WLAN |
| CVE-2023-22387 | A-276750306 QC-CR#3356023 | High | Kernel |
| CVE-2023-24851 | A-276751076 QC-CR#3359589 | High | WLAN |
| CVE-2023-24854 | A-276750639 QC-CR#3366343 | High | WLAN |
| CVE-2023-28541 | A-276750665 QC-CR#3144133 | High | WLAN |
| CVE-2023-28542 | A-276750246 QC-CR#3104318 | High | WLAN |
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-2023-21629 | A-264414032 | Critical | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2023-21631 | A-264415234 | High | Closed-source component |
| CVE-2023-22667 | A-276750583 | High | Closed-source component |
Full details of the July 2023 Android Security Bulletin are available here.
