CVE-2023-21518

Arbitrary activity launch via missing access checks

Published Jun 28, 2023 · Updated Nov 7, 2024

Improper access control in Samsung SearchWidget before 3.3 allows local users to start arbitrary activities through an untrusted app. The China-model component accepts activity-launch requests from untrusted applications without enforcing access restrictions and dispatches the requested activity. Exploitation requires a malicious application already installed on an affected device and can alter application behavior or interrupt availability, but Samsung reports no confidentiality impact.

CVSS severity4.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in Samsung SearchWidget before 3.3 allows local users to start arbitrary activities through an untrusted app. The China-model component accepts activity-launch requests from untrusted applications without enforcing access restrictions and dispatches the requested activity. Exploitation requires a malicious application already installed on an affected device and can alter application behavior or interrupt availability, but Samsung reports no confidentiality impact.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-21518
Published
Jun 28, 2023
Updated
Nov 7, 2024
Vendor
Samsung Electronics
Product
Samsung SearchWidget
Classifications
CWE-284, T1203
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 7, 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=unspecified <3.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Samsung Electronics · Samsung SearchWidgetversion=unspecified <3.3

Published CVSS scores

4.4Samsung MobileCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

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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