CVE-2023-21479
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authorization in Smart Suggestions on affected Samsung Android devices, enabling unauthorized schedule registration. It impacts Android 13 devices prior to the April 2023 security update and Android 12 devices with version 4.1.01.0 or earlier.
💻 Affected Systems
- Samsung Android devices with Smart Suggestions feature
📦 What is this software?
Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →Android by Samsung
Android is Google's open-source mobile operating system powering over 3 billion devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, automotive systems, wearables, and IoT devices. As the world's dominant mobile OS with approximately 72% global market share, Android serves as the foundation...
Learn more about Android →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could remotely register malicious schedules to trigger unwanted actions, potentially leading to data leakage, denial of service, or further exploitation via chained vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Remote attackers exploit this to register benign but disruptive schedules, causing minor functionality issues or privacy violations without severe system compromise.
If Mitigated
With proper patching, the vulnerability is eliminated, preventing any unauthorized schedule registration and maintaining normal device functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires remote access and knowledge of the vulnerability, but no public proof-of-concept is available, reducing immediate risk.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android 13: SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 or later; Android 12: version after 4.1.01.0
Vendor Advisory: https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2023&month=04
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Go to device Settings. 2. Navigate to Software Update. 3. Check for and install the latest security update. 4. Ensure the update includes the April 2023 patch or later.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Smart Suggestions
AndroidTemporarily turn off the Smart Suggestions feature to prevent exploitation until patched.
Settings > Apps > Smart Suggestions > Disable or Force Stop
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict network access to vulnerable devices using firewalls or network segmentation to limit remote attack surface.
- Monitor for unusual schedule registration activities in device logs and implement strict access controls for related services.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information; if Android 13 with patch before April 2023 or Android 12 with version 4.1.01.0 or earlier, the device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm the security patch level is April 2023 or later for Android 13, or the version is above 4.1.01.0 for Android 12.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual schedule registration events in system logs, especially from unauthorized sources or at odd times.
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious network traffic to Smart Suggestions services from external IPs, indicating potential exploitation attempts.
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND event="schedule_registration" AND user="unknown"