CVE-2023-21389

Local privilege escalation via missing permission check

Published Oct 30, 2023 · Updated Sep 6, 2024

Missing authorization in Android 14 Settings allows local users to escalate privileges by bypassing profile owner restrictions. The Settings component omits a required permission check while enforcing profile owner restrictions, allowing a blocked setting action to proceed. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access to an Android 14 device configured with a profile owner, but no user interaction or additional execution privileges.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.10%
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 14 Settings allows local users to escalate privileges by bypassing profile owner restrictions. The Settings component omits a required permission check while enforcing profile owner restrictions, allowing a blocked setting action to proceed. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access to an Android 14 device configured with a profile owner, but no user interaction or additional execution privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-21389
Published
Oct 30, 2023
Updated
Sep 6, 2024
Vendor
Google
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-862, T1404
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 30, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 6, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=14

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google · Androidversion=14

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-862Missing Authorization
T1404Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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