dbcve.org
Samsung MobileOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2016-9966

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-12-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Lack of appropriate exception handling in some receivers of the Telecom application on Samsung Note devices with L(5.0/5.1), M(6.0), and N(7.0) software allows attackers to crash the system easily resulting in a possible DoS attack, or possibly gain privileges. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-7120.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Vulnerability in Samsung's Telecom application on Note devices running Android 5.0-7.0 (L/M/N). The issue is lack of proper exception handling in BroadcastReceivers, allowing attackers to send crafted intents that either crash the system (DoS) or potentially escalate privileges. The receivers fail to catch and handle exceptions properly, leading to system-wide instability or unauthorized access.

MitigationApply Samsung security updates that address SVE-2016-7120. For legacy devices no longer receiving updates, consider network-based controls to block malicious intent broadcasts targeting the Telecom component, or retire affected devices.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Samsung MobileOperating system
Affected:= 5.0= 5.1= 6.0= 7.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device manufacturer is Samsung
    Check the device settings or run 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' or 'getprop ro.brand' in adb shell to verify the device is made by Samsung
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung device, then not affected by this specific Samsung vulnerability
  2. Check Android OS version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in adb shell
    Affected if Version is 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, or 7.0 - falls within the affected range; versions 8.0 and above are not affected
  3. Verify Samsung Telecom application is present
    Check for com.android.phone or Samsung Telecom component using 'pm list packages' or 'dumpsys package' in adb shell, or look for Telecom app in app settings
    Affected if The Telecom application is installed and active on the device; if absent, the specific vulnerability does not apply
  4. Confirm device is a Galaxy Note model
    Check the model number via Settings > About Phone > Model number, or run 'getprop ro.product.model' in adb shell - the CVE specifically targets Note devices
    Affected if Device is a Galaxy Note running the affected Android versions; other Samsung devices may have different exposure
  5. Check if Samsung security patch SVE-2016-7120 is applied
    Review the Samsung security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software information > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' in adb shell
    Affected if Patch level is earlier than the SVE-2016-7120 fix date; devices without this specific Samsung update remain vulnerable

User is affected if running a Samsung Galaxy Note device with Android 5.0-7.0 that has not received the SVE-2016-7120 security update - the combination of Samsung hardware, vulnerable Android versions, and unpatched Telecom component creates the exposure window.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Samsung security updates that address SVE-2016-7120. For legacy devices no longer receiving updates, consider network-based controls to block malicious intent broadcasts targeting the Telecom component, or retire affected devices.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later with December 2016 security patch level; for affected models, seek the latest Samsung software update containing the SVE-2016-7120 fix

  1. 1. Check if your Samsung device model supports newer Android versions (8.0+) or the December 2016 security patch level or later
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > About Phone on the Samsung device
  3. 3. Check the Android security patch level under About Phone > Software information
  4. 4. If the security patch level is earlier than December 2016, contact your carrier or Samsung for available updates
  5. 5. If an update is available, back up important data before applying
  6. 6. Apply the latest available Samsung security update or system update
  7. 7. After updating, verify the security patch level now shows December 2016 or later
Caveat Some older Samsung models on Android 5.x/6.x may not receive further updates from Samsung; consider upgrading to a newer device if no patch is available

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Samsung Mobile Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9966 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data