CVE-2023-40080 – This CVE describes a critical Bluetooth stack v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-40080?

CVE-2023-40080 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes a critical Bluetooth stack vulnerability in Android's Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) implementation. An out-of-bounds write due to a logic error allows local privilege escalation without user interaction. This affects Android devices with vulnerable Bluetooth modules.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a critical Bluetooth stack vulnerability in Android's Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) implementation. An out-of-bounds write due to a logic error allows local privilege escalation without user interaction. This affects Android devices with vulnerable Bluetooth modules.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Android devices with Bluetooth functionality

Versions: Android versions prior to December 2023 security patch

Operating Systems: Android

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Devices with Bluetooth enabled are vulnerable. The vulnerability is in the Bluetooth stack code.

📦 What is this software?

Android by Google

View all CVEs affecting Android →

Android by Google

View all CVEs affecting Android →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full device compromise allowing attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to data theft, surveillance, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Local attacker gains elevated privileges to access sensitive data, install malicious apps, or modify system settings without user knowledge.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to proper access controls, network segmentation, and Bluetooth restrictions in enterprise environments.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local privilege escalation requiring physical or network proximity via Bluetooth.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Attackers on the same network or with physical access can exploit this without authentication.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires Bluetooth proximity but no user interaction. Technical details are public in the source code links.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: December 2023 Android Security Patch Level or later

Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-12-01

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Install December 2023 security patch or later. 3. Reboot device after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Bluetooth

android

Turn off Bluetooth functionality to prevent exploitation

adb shell settings put global bluetooth_on 0
Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Bluetooth > Toggle off

Restrict Bluetooth Visibility

android

Set Bluetooth to non-discoverable mode to reduce attack surface

adb shell settings put global bluetooth_discoverability 0
Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Bluetooth > Device name > Turn off 'Make device discoverable'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices
Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious Bluetooth activity

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Android security patch level: Settings > About phone > Android version > Security patch level. If before December 2023, device is vulnerable.

Check Version:

adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify security patch level shows December 2023 or later. Check Bluetooth functionality remains operational.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual Bluetooth stack crashes in logcat
Suspicious Bluetooth service restarts
Unexpected privilege escalation attempts

Network Indicators:

Abnormal Bluetooth pairing attempts
Unexpected Bluetooth Low Energy traffic patterns

SIEM Query:

source="android_logs" AND ("btm_ble_gap" OR "Bluetooth stack crash")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-40080

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: December 4, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/modules/Bluetooth/+/7b30443dac7bb9138275c909549110191bcbcae9 Mailing List,Patch
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-12-01 Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/modules/Bluetooth/+/7b30443dac7bb9138275c909549110191bcbcae9 Mailing List,Patch
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2023-12-01 Patch,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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