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CVE Record

CVE-2023-21421: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges vulnerability in KnoxCustomManagerService prior...

Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges vulnerability in KnoxCustomManagerService prior to SMR Jan-2023 Release 1 allows attacker to access device SIM PIN.

MediumCVSS 5.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This flaw affects Samsung Mobile Devices before the January 2023 SMR Release 1. A local attacker could access a device SIM PIN through improper permission handling in KnoxCustomManagerService. The rated impact is medium, with limited confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate mobile fleet hygiene issue. It is not cited as exploited, but it affects sensitive SIM PIN access and should be closed through normal Samsung patch compliance, especially on managed or high-risk devices.

Technical view

CVE-2023-21421 is CWE-280 in Samsung KnoxCustomManagerService. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L, score 5.9. Affected versions are Samsung Mobile Devices running Q(10), R(11), S(12), and T(13) before SMR Jan-2023 Release 1.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Samsung Mobile Devices running Android 10 through 13 with Samsung security maintenance releases older than January 2023 Release 1. The source bundle does not identify non-Samsung products or specific model lists.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not cite active exploitation, and KEV is false. The vulnerability is local, low complexity, requires no privileges, and needs no user interaction, but the documented impact is limited rather than full device compromise.

Researcher notes

Available evidence is concise: affected platform range, service name, weakness class, CVSS vector, and Samsung advisory reference. The bundle does not include root cause details, proof-of-concept status, model granularity, or alternate mitigations beyond the fixed SMR boundary.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Samsung devices to SMR Jan-2023 Release 1 or later.
  • Check Samsung Mobile Security Updates for model-specific availability and guidance.
  • Prioritize devices handling sensitive mobile identity or enterprise management workflows.
  • Remove or replace unsupported Samsung devices that cannot receive the fixed SMR.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Samsung Mobile Devices running Android Q, R, S, or T.
  • Check each device security patch level against SMR Jan-2023 Release 1.
  • Confirm managed mobile fleets enforce minimum Samsung security patch levels.
  • Review exceptions for devices unable to receive January 2023 or later updates.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-280: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-21421 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.9 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.9CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L2.53.4Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.9Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-21421Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Samsung MobileSamsung Mobile DevicesQ(10), R(11), S(12), T(13)Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-280

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-280 · source CWE mapping

CWE mapping pending import

This CVE carries a CWE mapping that will resolve to a full Glexia CWE intelligence page after the official CWE import is complete.

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