Google Android 10.0/11.0/12.0/13.0 ActivityManagerService.java clearApplicationUserData path traversal

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Google Android 10.0/11.0/12.0/13.0 and classified as critical. The impacted element is the function clearApplicationUserData of the file ActivityManagerService.java. The manipulation leads to path traversal. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-20943. Local access is required to approach this attack. No exploit exists. To fix this issue, it is recommended to deploy a patch.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Google Android 10.0/11.0/12.0/13.0 (Smartphone Operating System). This issue affects the function clearApplicationUserData of the file ActivityManagerService.java. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a path traversal vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-22. The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In clearApplicationUserData of ActivityManagerService.java, there is a possible way to remove system files due to a path traversal error. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-240267890

The weakness was disclosed 02/28/2023 as A-240267890. It is possible to read the advisory at source.android.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2023-20943 since 11/03/2022. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/05/2025). It is expected to see the exploit prices for this product increasing in the near future.The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1006 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Applying a patch is able to eliminate this problem.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2023-25111). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• Smartphone Operating System

Vendor

• Google

Name

• Android

Version

• 10.0
• 11.0
• 12.0
• 13.0

License

• free

Website

• Vendor: https://www.google.com/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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Entryinfo

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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