Description
In binder_transaction_buffer_release of binder.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-257685302References: Upstream kernel
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Android | Android kernel | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 5.17.6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 5.17.6-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 5.17.6-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 5.15.0-1017.19 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +1 | 5.15.0-72.79 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws | 5.15.0-1036.40 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure | 5.15.0-1038.45 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 5.15.0-1038.45.1 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 5.15.0-1034.42 | USN-6090-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gke +1 | 5.15.0-1033.38 | USN-6090-1, USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.15.0-1020.25 | USN-6090-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 5.15.0-1030.33 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg | 5.15.0-1030.35 | USN-6133-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 5.15.0-1025.25 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oem-5.17 | 5.17.0-1011.12 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 5.15.0-1035.41 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 5.15.0-1029.31 | USN-6085-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux | 5.4.0-144.161 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-aws | 5.4.0-1097.105 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.15 | 5.15.0-1036.40~20.04.1 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure | 5.4.0-1104.110 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-5.15 | 5.15.0-1038.45~20.04.1 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-5.15 | 5.15.0-1038.45~20.04.1.1 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 5.4.0-1059.65 | USN-6000-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 5.4.0-1101.110 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp-5.15 | 5.15.0-1034.42~20.04.1 | USN-6090-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke | 5.4.0-1095.102 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke-5.15 | 5.15.0-1033.38~20.04.1 | USN-6090-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.4.0-1065.69 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gkeop-5.15 | 5.15.0-1020.25~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-hwe-5.15 +1 | 5.15.0-72.79~20.04.1 | USN-6080-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 5.4.0-1045.50 | USN-5951-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg-5.15 | 5.15.0-1030.35~20.04.1 | USN-6134-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-iot | 5.4.0-1013.15 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-kvm | 5.4.0-1087.93 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra-5.15 | 5.15.0-1014.14~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 5.4.0-1094.103 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-oracle-5.15 | 5.15.0-1035.41~20.04.1 | USN-6090-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 5.4.0-1081.92 | USN-5934-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-riscv +23 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-riscv-5.15 | 5.15.0-1033.37~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-xilinx-zynqmp | 5.4.0-1022.26 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.4 | 5.4.0-1097.105~18.04.1 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-azure-5.4 | 5.4.0-1104.110~18.04.1 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp-5.4 | 5.4.0-1101.110~18.04.1 | USN-5939-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-hwe-5.4 | 5.4.0-144.161~18.04.1 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-ibm-5.4 | 5.4.0-1045.50~18.04.1 | USN-5951-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-oracle-5.4 | 5.4.0-1094.103~18.04.1 | USN-5917-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-raspi-5.4 | 5.4.0-1081.92~18.04.1 | USN-5940-1 |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-intel-iot-realtime | 5.15.0-1028.33 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 5.15.0-1038.41 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 5.4.0-1099.107+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 5.4.0-1104.110+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips | 5.4.0-1073.82 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 5.4.0-1101.110+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-5.15 | 5.15.0-1114.123~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux +5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux +7 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | linux +3 | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
GitHub 3 repositories
-
jaf0rk/CVE-2023-20938 ★ 14 · Jun 23, 2025
-
0xAtharv/CVE-2023-20938-Public ★ 3 · Jan 14, 2026
A bug trigger for CVE-2023-20938 for Android Binder.
-
byt3quester/CVE-2023-20938-poc ★ 2 · Jun 22, 2026
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 12
- USN-6085-1 linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-6080-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.15, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.15, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-5.15, linux-hwe-5.15, linux-ibm, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-6090-1 linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.15, linux-gke, linux-gke-5.15, linux-gkeop, linux-oracle-5.15 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-6134-1 linux-intel-iotg-5.15 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-6133-1 linux-intel-iotg vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-5939-1 linux-gcp-5.4 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-5940-1 linux-raspi-5.4 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-6000-1 linux-bluefield vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-5934-1 linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-5951-1 linux-ibm, linux-ibm-5.4 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- USN-5917-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.4, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.4, linux-gcp, linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-hwe-5.4, linux-kvm, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.4 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 23, 2026
- WID-SEC-2023-0292 Android Patchday Februar 2023 BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Jun 1, 2023