Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-21426 affects select Samsung Android 10 mobile devices before Samsung's January 2023 security maintenance release. A hardcoded AES key in NFC card-emulation PIN handling could let a local attacker access a card-emulation PIN. Business urgency is moderate and mainly tied to unmanaged or unpatched legacy Samsung devices.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate mobile fleet hygiene issue, not an emergency based on the provided evidence. Prioritize patch compliance for older Samsung devices and reduce reliance on unsupported devices handling NFC card-emulation PINs.
Technical view
The CVE describes CWE-798: use of hardcoded credentials, specifically a hardcoded AES key used to encrypt card-emulation PINs in NFC. CVSS 3.1 is 4.3 with local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where select Samsung Android 10 devices remain on firmware before SMR Jan-2023 Release 1, especially if NFC card emulation is enabled or used for sensitive workflows. The provided sources do not identify the exact device model list.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates local attack conditions, no privileges, no user interaction, and confidentiality impact limited to card-emulation PIN access.
Researcher notes
The public record is concise and leaves gaps: exact affected models, key storage details, and practical preconditions are not included in the provided bundle. Analysis should stay bounded to local confidentiality exposure on select Android 10 Samsung devices before the January 2023 release.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Samsung SMR Jan-2023 Release 1 or later to affected Samsung mobile devices.
- Prioritize older Samsung Android 10 devices in mobile device management inventories.
- Restrict NFC card-emulation use on devices that cannot receive the update.
- Retire or isolate unsupported affected devices after business review.
- Check Samsung's advisory for device-specific update availability.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Samsung Android 10 devices and record model, build, and security patch level.
- Confirm affected devices show SMR Jan-2023 Release 1 or later.
- Identify whether NFC card emulation is enabled or used in business workflows.
- Review MDM compliance reports for outdated Samsung firmware.
- Track Samsung advisory updates for more specific affected-device information.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-798: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. 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.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-21426 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N2.51.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2023&month=01CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Use of Hard-coded Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.