CVE-2018-10501
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations of Samsung Notes Fixed in version 2.0.02.31. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of ZIP files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges to resources normally protected from the application. Was ZDI-CAN-5358.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Samsung Notes' ZIP file handling allows local attackers to write files to arbitrary locations by supplying specially crafted paths in ZIP archives. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied paths prior to file operations enables privilege escalation to resources normally protected from the application.
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< 2.0.02.31CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Samsung Notes is installedCheck device applications list or use package manager command (e.g., 'adb shell pm list packages' or check app drawer) for package containing 'samsung.notes' or 'Samsung Notes'Affected if Samsung Notes application is present on the device
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Retrieve installed version numberAccess device Settings > Apps > Samsung Notes > Version info, or use 'adb shell dumpsys package com.samsung.android.app.notes' to query versionNameAffected if Version number cannot be determined or is below 2.0.02.31
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the retrieved version to the affected range: versions prior to 2.0.02.31 are vulnerableAffected if Installed version is lower than 2.0.02.31
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Identify ZIP handling usage contextDetermine if backup/restore or import/export features are used. Samsung Notes may use ZIP archives for backup files or imported contentAffected if User utilizes backup, restore, or import features with external ZIP archives
The environment is affected if Samsung Notes is installed with a version lower than 2.0.02.31 and the user imports or processes ZIP archives through the application.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data2.0.02.31
Update Samsung Notes to version 2.0.02.31 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-10501 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-10501 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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