dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2017-18684

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 L(5.0/5.1) and M(6.0) software. SVoice allows provider seizure via an application that uses a custom provider. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-6942 (February 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 · moderate confidence

Samsung SVoice voice assistant application on devices with Android L (5.0/5.1) and M (6.0) contains a provider seizure vulnerability. A malicious application with a custom content provider can seize control of SVoice's provider, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or data. This is a critical privilege escalation issue enabling an attacker to intercept or manipulate voice assistant operations.

MitigationUsers should update Samsung devices to the latest available software version containing the February 2017 security patch (SVE-2016-6942). If updates are unavailable, consider disabling SVoice or restricting app installation permissions to trusted sources only.

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:= 5.0= 5.1= 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
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 Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Confirm if the device runs Android 5.0, 5.1, or 6.0.
    Affected if The Android version is 5.0, 5.1, or 6.0.
  2. Locate SVoice application
    Check if the Samsung SVoice app is installed on the device. Look in the app drawer or go to Settings > Applications > All and search for SVoice or S Voice.
    Affected if SVoice application is present on the device.
  3. Verify SVoice provider exposure
    Use a rooted device or ADB to inspect SVoice's AndroidManifest.xml. Look for content provider entries with exported="true" or no exported attribute. Check if the provider has an intent-filter, which would make it accessible to other apps.
    Affected if The SVoice content provider is exported (exported="true" or has an intent-filter) and accessible to other applications.
  4. Assess third-party app installation setting
    Go to Settings > Security > Unknown sources (or Settings > Apps > Special access > Install unknown apps on newer Android versions). Determine if the device allows installation of apps from unknown sources.
    Affected if Unknown sources are enabled, allowing installation of potentially malicious applications that could exploit the provider seizure.

A device is affected if it runs Android 5.0, 5.1, or 6.0 AND has SVoice installed with an exported content provider, especially when unknown app sources are permitted.

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

Users should update Samsung devices to the latest available software version containing the February 2017 security patch (SVE-2016-6942). If updates are unavailable, consider disabling SVoice or restricting app installation permissions to trusted sources only.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Samsung security update (February 2017 or later) or upgrade to a currently supported Android device with ongoing security patches

  1. Check for system updates on the Samsung device and install any available security patches
  2. Navigate to Settings > About device > Software update > Download updates manually
  3. Ensure the device is running the latest available Samsung security update from February 2017 or later (SVE-2016-6942)
  4. If the device cannot receive updates due to age, consider migrating to a newer Android device that receives active security support
Caveat Devices running Android 5.0/5.1/6.0 may no longer receive security updates; upgrading to a newer device may be necessary

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2017-18684 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data