CVE-2018-10502
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 Galaxy Apps Fixed in version 4.2.18.2. 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 a staging mode. The issue lies in the ability to change the configuration based on the presence of a file in an user-controlled location. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges to resources normally protected from the application. Was ZDI-CAN-5359.
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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Samsung Galaxy Apps staging mode. The application checks for a configuration file in a user-controlled location, allowing a local attacker who can place a file in that location to modify the app's configuration and escalate privileges to access 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< 4.2.18.2CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/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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Check if Samsung Galaxy Apps is installedNavigate to Settings > Apps on the Samsung device and look for Samsung Galaxy Apps in the application list, or check the app drawer for the Galaxy Apps iconAffected if Samsung Galaxy Apps is present on the device
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Determine the installed version of Samsung Galaxy AppsIn Settings > Apps > Samsung Galaxy Apps, tap on App info or the three-dot menu to view the Version or Version name field. Compare this version number to the affected range of versions earlier than 4.2.18.2Affected if The installed version is lower than 4.2.18.2
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Check if staging mode is enabledOpen Samsung Galaxy Apps, access the app settings or configuration menu, and look for an option labeled 'Staging mode' or 'Developer staging mode' to see if it is turned onAffected if Staging mode is enabled in the app settings
Your environment is affected if Samsung Galaxy Apps version is lower than 4.2.18.2 AND staging mode is currently enabled on the device
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 data4.2.18.2
Update Samsung Galaxy Apps to version 4.2.18.2 or later. Since the vulnerability requires the attacker to first execute low-privileged code on the device, ensure devices are not compromised and restrict access to untrusted applications.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-10502 — 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-2018-10502 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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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.
- 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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