Local privilege escalation via mismatched Binder identity
Published Jan 24, 2023 · Updated Apr 2, 2025
Privilege escalation in the Android 13 Framework allows local users to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. The getStringsForPrefix method in Settings.java calls DeviceConfig from system_server without clearing the Binder caller identity, producing mismatched AttributionSources and a SecurityException. The reachable consequences are failed package uninstallation and local privilege escalation; no additional execution privileges are required.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in the Android 13 Framework allows local users to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. The getStringsForPrefix method in Settings.java calls DeviceConfig from system_server without clearing the Binder caller identity, producing mismatched AttributionSources and a SecurityException. The reachable consequences are failed package uninstallation and local privilege escalation; no additional execution privileges are required.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-20919
- Published
- Jan 24, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 2, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-693, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 24, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 2, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=Android-13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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