dbcve.org
Galaxy S5 FirmwareOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2017-18681

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2016-12-20 or later.
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 Galaxy S5 mobile devices with software through 2016-12-20 (Qualcomm AP chipsets). There are multiple buffer overflows in the bootloader. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-7930 (March 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

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in the bootloader of Samsung Galaxy S5 devices with Qualcomm AP chipsets running software versions through 2016-12-20. These critical (CVSS 9.8) buffer overflows could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code at the bootloader level, potentially achieving persistent firmware-level compromise.

MitigationApply any available Samsung security updates for affected Galaxy S5 devices; if no update is available, consider device replacement as bootloader vulnerabilities cannot be mitigated through configuration changes.

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
Galaxy S5 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 2016-12-20

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:3.1/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. Identify device model
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Device name, or check the physical device for Galaxy S5 branding
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung Galaxy S5 (not affected)
  2. Confirm chipset manufacturer
    Check Settings > About Phone > Hardware/Processor information, or use a device info app to verify the AP chipset is Qualcomm (not Exynos)
    Affected if Chipset is not Qualcomm (not affected)
  3. Check firmware build date
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build number or Build date; alternatively, check the kernel version and compare to the 2016-12-20 cutoff
    Affected if Firmware build date is 2016-12-20 or earlier, or build number indicates firmware released on or before that date
  4. Verify bootloader version if accessible
    Boot into download mode (power + volume down + home) or use ADB command 'fastboot getvar all' to check bootloader version if the device supports it
    Affected if Unable to determine bootloader version but firmware is pre-2016-12-20 (assume affected)

If the device is a Samsung Galaxy S5 with Qualcomm AP chipset running firmware dated 2016-12-20 or earlier, the bootloader is vulnerable to buffer overflow and the device is affected.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2016-12-20
Interim mitigation

Apply any available Samsung security updates for affected Galaxy S5 devices; if no update is available, consider device replacement as bootloader vulnerabilities cannot be mitigated through configuration changes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung Galaxy S5 firmware with security patch March 2017 or later (SVE-2016-7930 fix)

  1. Back up all important data from the device before proceeding with firmware update
  2. Navigate to Settings > About device on the Samsung Galaxy S5
  3. Check for system updates by selecting 'Software update' or 'Download updates manually'
  4. Ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery (at least 50%)
  5. Download and install any available firmware updates released after December 2016
  6. After updating, verify the bootloader version by checking Settings > About device > Bootloader version
  7. If OTA update is not available, use Samsung Smart Switch PC software to check for and install available updates
  8. For devices that no longer receive official updates, consider replacing the device as bootloader vulnerabilities cannot be mitigated through user configuration
Caveat Firmware updates may reset some device settings; backup recommended before updating

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

Fix this in Galaxy S5 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-18681 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-18681 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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