CVE-2023-21091

Cross-user denial of service via unchecked locale change

Published Apr 19, 2023 · Updated Feb 5, 2025

Missing authorization in Android 13 Settings allows local users to cause denial of service across user boundaries by changing system app locales. AppLocalePickerActivity.canDisplayLocalUi fails to verify that a package may display its locale list and that the target user matches the caller before permitting the change. A low-privileged local user can trigger the cross-user disruption without user interaction, but the documented impact is limited to service interruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.08%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Missing authorization in Android 13 Settings allows local users to cause denial of service across user boundaries by changing system app locales. AppLocalePickerActivity.canDisplayLocalUi fails to verify that a package may display its locale list and that the target user matches the caller before permitting the change. A low-privileged local user can trigger the cross-user disruption without user interaction, but the documented impact is limited to service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-21091
Published
Apr 19, 2023
Updated
Feb 5, 2025
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-862, T1642
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 19, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 5, 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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  1. Affected versionversion=Android-13

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=Android-13

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-862Missing Authorization
T1642Endpoint Denial of Service

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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