Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2023-21492 is a medium-severity Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (CWE-532) vulnerability in Samsung Android. Its CVSS base score is 4.4 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked in the top 16% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-21492 is an information disclosure vulnerability in the Samsung Android kernel that stems from kernel pointers being written to log files. The flaw affects devices prior to the SMR May-2023 Release 1 security maintenance release and is tracked under CWE-532 (Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File). With a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.4, the issue enables partial bypass of address-space layout randomization when the logs are accessible.
A local attacker who already possesses high privileges can read the exposed pointers from the logs and use them to defeat ASLR, thereby facilitating follow-on kernel exploitation. The attack requires no user interaction and occurs entirely on the device.
Samsung’s May 2023 security bulletin addresses the issue through the SMR May-2023 Release 1 update. The vulnerability is also listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming observed in-the-wild exploitation. The current EPSS score of 0.0037 remains low and shows no material upward movement.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-25660
Vulnerability Data
Kernel pointers are printed in the log file prior to SMR May-2023 Release 1 allows a privileged local attacker to bypass ASLR.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 19 May 2023
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Procedures mandate excluding sensitive data from logs to prevent unauthorized exposure via audit records.
Identifies insertion of sensitive data into logs, allowing detection of unauthorized disclosure.
Cross-organizational coordination enables agreement on what data to include in audit logs, directly reducing insertion of sensitive information.
Identifying logging as a data action allows prevention of sensitive information being inserted into log files.
The process of identifying and eradicating spilled information applies directly to sensitive data inserted into log files.
Specific processing rules for sensitive PII categories commonly include restrictions on logging, making insertion of such data into log files less likely.
PIAs detect planned or existing logging of PII and require removal or protection, preventing insertion of sensitive information into logs.
Limits insertion of sensitive operational details into logs by treating such data as key information requiring protection.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prohibit writing sensitive data to logs; eliminating the weakness satisfies only one narrow slice of the control.
Log generation configuration can and should exclude sensitive data, but the control statement focuses on availability rather than content filtering.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring de-identification and privacy controls before logs leave the organization reduces the chance that sensitive data inadvertently captured in logs becomes exposed to external parties.
By defining what records must be kept, where, and for how long, the control discourages the inadvertent inclusion of sensitive information in logs or other externally accessible files that fall outside the formal record system.
Mandating deletion of temporary files and logs that may contain sensitive information prevents those artifacts from remaining accessible after the data is no longer needed.
When log entries are produced from masked data sets, the control prevents the inadvertent insertion of sensitive values into externally accessible log files.
DLP inspection of logs and file transfers can detect and block the inadvertent placement of sensitive tokens or credentials into externally accessible log files before they are written or transmitted.
Requiring restrictions on free-text fields and proper error-message handling stops developers from embedding or leaking sensitive data into logs or diagnostic output.