CVE-2023-35684
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows a paired Bluetooth device to execute arbitrary code on an Android device without user interaction. It affects Android devices with vulnerable Bluetooth implementations, potentially enabling privilege escalation from a paired device.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android devices with Bluetooth functionality
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with paired Bluetooth device access could gain full system control, install malware, or exfiltrate sensitive data without user knowledge.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation allowing unauthorized access to device resources and data from a previously paired Bluetooth device.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper Bluetooth security controls, device isolation, and network segmentation in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires Bluetooth pairing access but no user interaction. Exploitation involves integer overflow leading to out-of-bounds write in AVDTP message assembly.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: September 2023 Android Security Patch or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-09-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Apply September 2023 or later security patch. 3. Restart device after update installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Bluetooth when not in use
androidTurn off Bluetooth functionality to prevent exploitation from paired devices
adb shell settings put global bluetooth_on 0
Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Bluetooth > Turn off
Remove unnecessary Bluetooth pairings
androidDelete unused or untrusted Bluetooth device pairings to reduce attack surface
Settings > Connected devices > Previously connected devices > Forget
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from critical systems
- Deploy Bluetooth security monitoring and alert on unusual pairing attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version > Security patch level. If before September 2023, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify security patch level shows September 2023 or later date after applying update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual Bluetooth connection attempts
- AVDTP protocol anomalies
- Crash logs from Bluetooth stack processes
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious Bluetooth traffic patterns
- Unexpected AVDTP message sequences
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND (process="bluetooth" OR process="avdtp") AND (event="crash" OR event="overflow")🔗 References
- https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/modules/Bluetooth/+/668bbca29797728004d88db4c9b69102f3939008
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-09-01
- https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/modules/Bluetooth/+/668bbca29797728004d88db4c9b69102f3939008
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-09-01
