BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
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Full vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2023-20938High confidence

In binder_transaction_buffer_release of binder.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper input validation

Unknown · Android

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.34% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Android and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Debian, ubuntu findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

5 package states
Package result overrides the generic status

BlackTree has verified remediation for at least one product or source, but the relevant distribution still reports no fixed package for 1 affected package state shown here. Treat those rows as affected with no fix until that distribution publishes a fixed version.

Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Debian trixietrixie · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.17.6-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.17.6-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.17.6-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.17.6-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-raspi-realtimeAffected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical Ubuntu Security ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2023-25106

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

In binder_transaction_buffer_release of binder.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-257685302References: Upstream kernel

What

In binder_transaction_buffer_release of binder.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-257685302References: Upstream kernel

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

In binder_transaction_buffer_release of binder.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-257685302References: Upstream kernel

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

CISA Vulnrichment records proof-of-concept exploitation in its SSVC data. BlackTree has not independently executed or validated exploit material.

Likely attack path
local access → Use After Free → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-416 ↗

CWE-416: Use After Free. The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
CWE-416Public exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2023-0292Android Patchday Februar 2023

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Google Android ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen, vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen und einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand zu verursachen.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20230301Security Bulletin 01 Mar 2023

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 01 Mar 2023, published on 1 March 2023. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0429Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1078 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1118 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1118 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1281 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1281 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1380 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1380 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1513 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1513 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1652 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1652 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1670 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1670 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1829 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1829 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1872 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1872 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20938 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20938 Référence CVE CVE-2023-21102 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-21102 Référence CVE CVE-2023-2162 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2162 Référence CVE CVE-2023-2612 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2612 Référence CVE CVE-2023-26545 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26545 Référence CVE CVE-2023-26606 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26606 Référence CVE CVE-2023-30456 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-30456 Référence CVE CVE-2023-31436 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-31436 Référence CVE CVE-2023-32233 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0394Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0458 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0459 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0459 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1073 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1073 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1074 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1074 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1075 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1075 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1078 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1078 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1118 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1118 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1513 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1513 Référence CVE CVE-2023-1652 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-1652 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20938 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20938 Référence CVE CVE-2023-21102 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-21102 Référence CVE CVE-2023-21106 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-21106 Référence CVE CVE-2023-2162 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2162 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23454 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23454 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23455 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23455 Référence CVE CVE-2023-26544 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26544 Référence CVE CVE-2023-32269 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-32269 Gestion détaillée du document le 19 mai 2023 Version initiale Al

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0244Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47520 Référence CVE CVE-2022-47521 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47521 Référence CVE CVE-2022-47929 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47929 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0045 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0045 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0179 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0179 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0266 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0266 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0394 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0394 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0461 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0461 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0468 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0468 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20938 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20938 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23454 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23454 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23455 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23455 Référence CVE CVE-2023-26605 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-26605 Gestion détaillée du document le 17 mars 2023 Version initiale Alertes Avis Bulletins d’actualités Mentions légales Conditions générales À propos Contact cyber.gouv.fr service-public.fr legifrance.gouv.fr info.gouv.fr france.fr info.gouv.fr/risques Premier Ministre / Secrétariat Général de la Défense et de la Sécurité Nationale / Agence nationale de la sécurité des sy

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0210Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47521 Référence CVE CVE-2022-47929 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47929 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0045 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0045 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0179 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0179 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0266 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0266 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0394 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0394 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0461 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0461 Référence CVE CVE-2023-0468 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0468 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20928 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20928 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20938 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20938 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23454 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23454 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23455 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23455 Référence CVE CVE-2023-23559 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-23559 Gestion détaillée du document le 10 mars 2023 Version initiale Alertes Avis Bulletins d’actualités Mentions légales Conditions générales À propos Contact cyber.gouv.fr service-public.fr legifrance.gouv.fr info.gouv.fr france.fr info.gouv.fr/risques Premier Ministre / Secrétariat Général de la Défense et de la Sécurité Nationale / Agence nationale de la sécurité des sy

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2023-AVI-0097Multiples vulnérabilités dans Google Android

d?id=CVE-2022-41222 Référence CVE CVE-2022-43680 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-43680 Référence CVE CVE-2022-47331 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47331 Référence CVE CVE-2022-47339 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-47339 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20602 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20602 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20932 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20932 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20933 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20933 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20934 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20934 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20937 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20937 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20938 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20938 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20939 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20939 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20940 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20940 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20942 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20942 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20943 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20943 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20944 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20944 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20945 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20945 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20946 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20946 Référence CVE CVE-2023-20948 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2023-004557Google の Android における解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性

Google の Android には、解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
Android: Android kernel
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 28 Feb 2023 · Last source change 2 Aug 2024, 09:21 UTC · CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-25106
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2023-20938 · cve.blacktree.nl