Samsung recently commenced the rollout of the July 2023 security update to its smartphone lineup. The latest update has been made available to select high-end and mid-range models, such as the Galaxy A53, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S22, and Galaxy S23. In a comprehensive security bulletin, the South Korean tech giant has provided insight into the specific security vulnerabilities addressed by the July 2023 update.
Samsung’s July 2023 security patch addresses a total of 90 security flaws. The security bulletin reveals that out of these 90 fixes, 52 have been contributed by Google, while Samsung has independently developed 38 fixes known as Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVEs). Among these security flaws, three are classified as critical, while 56 are considered high priority. The remaining vulnerabilities are labeled as moderate risks. Notably, Samsung also highlights that three of the fixes included in the June 2023 patch were subsequently integrated by Google into the July 2023 patch.
The SVEs addressed by Samsung encompass a range of vulnerabilities, including those related to manual package installation via ADB command, improper access control in the audio system, UWB chipset identifier, broadcast SMS configuration, Galaxy Themes Service, and more. Additionally, improper access control issues were identified in Settings, and several internal testing functions exhibited out-of-bounds write issues, which could be exploited by hackers to execute unauthorized code.
For a detailed overview of the security flaws resolved by Google in the July 2023 security patch for Android devices, please refer to this page. The majority of these vulnerabilities were discovered in devices running Android 11, Android 12, Android 12L, and Android 13. Notably, certain issues pertain to Qualcomm chips and components, Mali and PowerVR GPUs, as well as memory management.