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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-18648

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-07
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
An issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with KK(4.4.x), L(5.x), M(6.x), and N(7.x) software. Arbitrary file read/write operations can occur in the locked state via a crafted MTP command. The Samsung ID is SVE-2017-10086 (November 2017).

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

This vulnerability in Samsung mobile devices (Android KK 4.4.x through N 7.x) allows arbitrary file read/write operations while the device is in a locked state. The issue exists in the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) implementation, where a crafted MTP command can bypass the lock screen protection and allow unauthorized access to the device's file system via USB connection.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied security patches from Samsung (SVE-2017-10086). Until patched, avoid connecting the device to untrusted USB ports or computers, and consider disabling MTP when the device is locked.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 4.4= 4.4.1= 4.4.2= 4.4.3= 4.4.4= 5.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 5.1= 5.1.0= 5.1.1= 6.0

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
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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. Identify device vendor and model
    Go to Settings > About Phone and check the manufacturer and model number. This vulnerability affects only Samsung mobile devices.
    Affected if The device is not a Samsung brand mobile device (the vulnerability is Samsung-specific)
  2. Check installed Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Compare the version number against the affected list: 4.4, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.4, 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, or 6.0.
    Affected if The Android version matches one of the listed affected versions
  3. Verify MTP is enabled
    Connect the device to a computer via USB. In Developer Options > USB Configuration, verify MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) is selected as the USB mode. Alternatively, when connected, check if the device appears as a media device allowing file access.
    Affected if MTP is enabled and the device is connected via USB to another device
  4. Check security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Look for the Samsung security update containing SVE-2017-10086 (typically dated after the patch release).
    Affected if The device has not received the Samsung security patch SVE-2017-10086 and the security patch level is older than the fix

A user is affected if they have a Samsung device with Android version 4.4 through 6.0, MTP is enabled, and the Samsung security patch SVE-2017-10086 has not been applied.

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 vendor-supplied security patches from Samsung (SVE-2017-10086). Until patched, avoid connecting the device to untrusted USB ports or computers, and consider disabling MTP when the device is locked.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any Samsung device model receiving security updates after November 2017, or upgrade to a device with Android 8.0+ that receives monthly security patches

  1. Check if your device model received a security update after November 2017 that includes the fix for SVE-2017-10086
  2. If available, apply the latest Samsung security patch for your device model
  3. If no patch is available, consider upgrading to a device with newer Android version (Android 8.0 or later) that receives regular security updates
  4. For devices that cannot receive updates, the mitigation is to avoid connecting the device to untrusted USB ports and disable MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) when not in use
Caveat Android 4.4.x devices are end-of-life and may not support newer Android versions; hardware limitations may prevent OS upgrades on older devices

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2017-18648 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