CVE-2023-21462 in Quick Share Agent
Summary
by MITRE • 03/16/2023
The sensitive information exposure vulnerability in Quick Share Agent prior to versions 3.5.14.18 in Android 12 and 3.5.16.20 in Android 13 allows to local attacker to access MAC address without related permission.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-21462 represents a critical sensitive information exposure flaw within the Quick Share Agent component of Android operating systems. This vulnerability affects specific versions of Android 12 and Android 13, with the issue persisting in Quick Share Agent versions prior to 3.5.14.18 for Android 12 and 3.5.16.20 for Android 13. The flaw enables local attackers to access MAC addresses without requiring any explicit permissions, creating a significant security risk that undermines the fundamental principles of Android's permission model and information security.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls within the Quick Share Agent service, which is designed to facilitate file sharing between devices. The flaw allows unauthorized local processes to retrieve MAC address information through improper privilege escalation or insufficient input validation mechanisms. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in proper access control implementation that aligns with CWE-284 access control weaknesses. The vulnerability specifically enables attackers to extract hardware identifiers that are typically protected from unauthorized access, creating potential tracking and fingerprinting opportunities that could be exploited for more sophisticated attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to device security and user privacy. MAC address information can be used for device fingerprinting, tracking user behavior across different networks, and potentially identifying specific devices for targeted attacks. The local nature of the attack means that any application running on the same device could exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple applications are installed or where device compromise has already occurred. This weakness directly impacts the Android security model's ability to protect sensitive device information and could enable attackers to build comprehensive profiles of device users and their activities.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and credential access. Attackers could leverage this weakness as part of a broader attack chain to gain additional information about target devices, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as man-in-the-middle operations or device-specific targeting. The vulnerability also represents a failure in Android's security architecture, as it allows unauthorized access to information that should remain protected within system-level components. Organizations and users should prioritize updating to the patched versions of Quick Share Agent, as this represents a fundamental security weakness that could be exploited for various malicious purposes including surveillance, tracking, and identity theft. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper access control implementation in system services and the need for comprehensive security testing of core Android components that handle sensitive device information.