CVE-2023-29752 in Emoji Keyboard
Summary
by MITRE • 06/09/2023
An issue found in Facemoji Emoji Keyboard v.2.9.1.2 for Android allows unauthorized apps to cause escalation of privilege attacks by manipulating the component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-29752 affects the Facemoji Emoji Keyboard Android application version 2.9.1.2, presenting a significant security risk through improper component exposure that enables privilege escalation attacks. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly secure its internal components, creating an avenue for malicious applications to exploit the keyboard's functionality for unauthorized system access. The vulnerability specifically targets the application's component architecture, which should have implemented proper access controls and permission boundaries to prevent unauthorized manipulation. According to CWE-276, this represents a classic case of incorrect permissions for critical resources, where the keyboard application fails to enforce proper security boundaries between its components and external applications.
The technical flaw manifests through the insecure exposure of application components that should remain protected within the application's sandbox environment. Malicious actors can exploit this vulnerability by crafting unauthorized applications that manipulate the keyboard's components to execute privileged operations. This exploitation pathway directly violates the principle of least privilege and allows attackers to gain elevated system permissions that should remain restricted to legitimate application functionality. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor through which unauthorized applications can leverage the keyboard's elevated privileges to perform actions beyond their normal operational scope. This type of attack aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes the use of local privilege escalation techniques to gain elevated system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables attackers to potentially compromise the entire device through privilege escalation. Once an attacker gains elevated privileges through this vulnerability, they can access sensitive user data, modify system configurations, install malicious applications, and potentially establish persistent access to the device. The keyboard application's role as a system-level component makes it particularly attractive for attackers seeking to maintain long-term access to compromised devices. Users who have installed the vulnerable version of Facemoji Emoji Keyboard face significant risk, as the vulnerability can be exploited without user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in mobile environments where users may not be aware of the security implications.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate application updates to address the component exposure issue and implement proper access controls for all application components. Organizations should ensure that all users update to the latest version of the application where the vulnerability has been patched. Security measures should include proper component declaration and access control implementation, ensuring that only authorized components can interact with sensitive application functionality. The fix should enforce strict permission boundaries and implement proper input validation to prevent malicious manipulation of application components. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for unauthorized applications that may attempt to exploit this vulnerability and consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of potentially malicious applications that could target this specific vulnerability.