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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In 2022, security researcher David Schütz reported a Pixel lock-screen bypass that could occur while resetting a SIM card’s PUK. It was not a passcode-recovery feature, and the evidence describes a historical vulnerability—not a way to unlock an updated Pixel today. Google tracked it as CVE-2022-20465 and documented the fix in its November 2022 Android Security Bulletin.
What happened in the Pixel lock-screen bypass
Schütz said the issue surfaced after his Pixel 6 rebooted and asked for the SIM PIN. After he entered the wrong SIM PIN three times, the SIM required its PUK, the code used to unblock it. In his first attempt, the phone returned to the lock screen. When he later repeated the SIM PIN reset on a locked device without rebooting, he said the phone opened to the home screen.
He reported reproducing the behavior on a Pixel 6 and a Pixel 5. Schütz’s write-up says an attacker needed physical access to the phone, a PIN-locked SIM, and knowledge of that SIM’s correct PUK. These are the conditions he described for the historical vulnerability, not a current unlock procedure. Schütz’s account of the discovery and tests provides the firsthand details.
Did the bug affect every Pixel, and does it still work?
The headline’s “any Pixel” wording came from a November 12, 2022 Futurism report. Schütz assessed at the time that the issue seemingly affected all Pixel devices, but the models specifically named in his write-up are the Pixel 6 and Pixel 5. That distinction matters: the report does not document tests on every Pixel model.
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Nor does the historical report establish a working bypass on phones that have received the relevant security fix. Google’s November 2022 bulletin identifies CVE-2022-20465 as a high-severity system elevation-of-privilege issue and lists updated AOSP versions 10, 11, 12, 12L and 13. It says security patch levels 2022-11-05 or later address issues associated with that patch level. This is a historical patch record; it cannot tell you whether a particular handset is currently updated. Google’s November 2022 Android Security Bulletin records the classification and patch guidance.
Why completing a SIM PUK reset could dismiss the lock screen
Google’s AOSP commit explains that completing a SIM PUK reset and other SIM-state notifications could trigger overlapping requests to dismiss the keyguard, Android’s lock-screen system. If the active security method changed before a dismissal request ran, the request could be misinterpreted as successful PIN, pattern or password authentication. The keyguard could then be marked as complete despite no valid device credential having been entered.
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The fix makes each dismissal request specify which security method it applies to. If that method no longer matches the system’s current state, the request is ignored. This guards against an outdated request being treated as successful authentication. The implementation is documented in Google’s AOSP change for the keyguard security controller.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Schütz disclosed the vulnerability
Schütz says he submitted the report to Google in June 2022, and Android’s Vulnerability Rewards Program triaged it and filed an internal bug within 37 minutes. He says the bug was later treated as a duplicate; after he demonstrated the issue in person to Google engineers, he received a $70,000 award. Futurism also reported the reward. These timeline and payment details come from Schütz’s account and the contemporaneous report, rather than the Android security bulletin. Futurism’s November 2022 report tied the discovery to the “any Pixel” headline framing.
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