CVE-2023-0460 Remote code execution in YouTube Android Player API SDK

What is CVE-2023-0460?

CVE-2023-0460 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in Google YouTube Android Player API SDK, published on 1 Mar 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

The YouTube Embedded 1.2 SDK binds to a service within the YouTube Main App. After binding, a remote context is created with the flags Context.CONTEXT_INCLUDE_CODE | Context.CONTEXT_IGNORE_SECURITY. This allows the client app to remotely load code from YouTube Main App by retrieving the Main App’s ClassLoader. A potential vulnerability in the binding logic used by the client SDK where the SDK ends up calling bindService() on a malicious app rather than YT Main App. This creates a vulnerability where the SDK can load the malicious app’s ClassLoader instead, allowing the malicious app to load arbitrary code into the calling app whenever the embedded SDK is invoked.

In order to trigger this vulnerability, an attacker must masquerade the Youtube app and install it on a device, have a second app that uses the Embedded player and typically distribute both to the victim outside of the Play Store.

Weakness: CWE-470

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-0460?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Google Youtube Android Player Api.

How do I fix CVE-2023-0460?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-0460 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.

Is CVE-2023-0460 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-0460 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-gwwh-wv9x-j72w.