Actively exploited vulnerability

Android Pixel: information disclosure flaw under attack

CVE-2023-21237 · Android Pixel Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Concerns everyone who uses it5.5 medium

What is affected

Android Pixel is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.

Android Pixel contains a vulnerability in the Framework component, where the UI may be misleading or insufficient, providing a means to hide a foreground service notification. This could enable a local attacker to disclose sensitive information.

CISA's description

What an attacker can do

This is a information disclosure flaw. It lets an attacker read data they are not supposed to see, such as memory contents, credentials or internal files. It is often the first step of a larger attack.

How it is reached
Needs access to the device or a file opened on it
Access the attacker needs
A basic user account
Does the victim have to do something?
No, works without the victim doing anything

What to do

  1. Update Android Pixel now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
  2. Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
  3. If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Action required by CISA for US federal agencies

Vendor advisories and fixes

How urgent is it

CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on March 5, 2024, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by March 26, 2024, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.

The EPSS model estimates a 0.3% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 17% of all scored vulnerabilities.

Its CVSS severity score is 5.5 out of 10 (medium), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.

Technical description

In applyRemoteView of NotificationContentInflater.java, there is a possible way to hide foreground service notification due to misleading or insufficient UI. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-251586912

NIST National Vulnerability Database
5,442 members already hereReading, writing, commenting and voting. 0 verified · 167 joined this year