How severe is CVE-2023-21421?

CVE-2023-21421 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.

Is CVE-2023-21421 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (5th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-21421?

CVE-2023-21421 primarily affects Samsung Android. In total, 128 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-21421?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-21421 published?

CVE-2023-21421 was published on 2023-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-21421

CVE-2023-21421 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Samsung Android with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-269.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.9)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (5th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Samsung Android
Published: 2023-02-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

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

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-21421?: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges vulnerability in KnoxCustomManagerService prior to SMR Jan-2023 Release 1 allows attacker to access device SIM PIN.
How severe is CVE-2023-21421?: CVE-2023-21421 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2023-21421 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (5th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-21421?: CVE-2023-21421 primarily affects Samsung Android. In total, 128 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-21421?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-21421 published?: CVE-2023-21421 was published on 2023-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2023&month=01

Affected products (128)

cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-apr-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-apr-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-apr-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-apr-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-aug-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-aug-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-aug-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-aug-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-dec-2019-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-dec-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-dec-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-dec-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-dec-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-feb-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-feb-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-feb-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-feb-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jan-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jan-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jan-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jul-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jul-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jul-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jul-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jun-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jun-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jun-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-jun-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-mar-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-mar-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-mar-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-mar-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-may-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-may-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-may-2022-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-may-2023-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-nov-2019-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-nov-2020-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:android:10.0:smr-nov-2021-r1:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Samsung Android

CVE-2023-21456 — Critical (CVSS 9.0): Path traversal vulnerability in Galaxy Themes Service prior to SMR Mar-2023 Release 1 allows attacker to access…
CVE-2025-21043 — High (CVSS 8.8): Out-of-bounds write in libimagecodec.quram.so prior to SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 allows remote attackers to execute…
CVE-2025-21042 — High (CVSS 8.8): Out-of-bounds write in libimagecodec.quram.so prior to SMR Apr-2025 Release 1 allows remote attackers to execute…
CVE-2025-20936 — High (CVSS 8.8): Improper access control in HDCP trustlet prior to SMR Apr-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers with shell privilege to…
CVE-2023-21480 — High (CVSS 8.5): Improper input validation vulnerability in CertByte prior to SMR Apr-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to launch…
CVE-2023-30692 — High (CVSS 8.5): Improper input validation vulnerability in Evaluator prior to SMR Oct-2023 Release 1 allows local attackers to launch…

All CVEs affecting Samsung Android →

Other CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-31852 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Jellyfin is an open-source media system. The code-quality.yml GitHub Actions workflow in jellyfin/jellyfin-ios is…
CVE-2025-20282 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability in an internal API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to…
CVE-2025-0505 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): On Arista CloudVision systems (virtual or physical on-premise deployments), Zero Touch Provisioning can be used to gain…
CVE-2023-48418 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In checkDebuggingDisallowed of DeviceVersionFragment.java, there is a possible way to access adb before SUW…
CVE-2023-48419 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An attacker in the wifi vicinity of a target Google Home can spy on the victim, resulting in Elevation of Privilege
CVE-2023-31273 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Protection mechanism failure in some Intel DCM software before version 5.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to…

Browse all CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities →