CVE-2019-15434
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 · uneditedThe Samsung A5 Android device with a build fingerprint of samsung/a5y17ltexx/a5y17lte:8.0.0/R16NW/A520FXXS8CSC5:user/release-keys contains a pre-installed app with a package name of com.samsung.android.themecenter app (versionCode=7000000, versionName=7.0.0.0) that allows other pre-installed apps to perform app installation via an accessible app component. This capability can be accessed by any pre-installed app on the device which can obtain signatureOrSystem permissions that are required by other other pre-installed apps that exported their capabilities to other pre-installed app.
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 confidenceThe Samsung A5 Android device contains a pre-installed themecenter app (com.samsung.android.themecenter) that exposes an exported component allowing privileged app installation. This component can be invoked by any pre-installed app holding signatureOrSystem permissions, effectively bypassing Android's standard permission model and enabling unauthorized app installation.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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:3.1/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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Confirm device model is Samsung Galaxy A5Check the device model number in Settings > About Phone > Model Number, or run `getprop ro.product.model` via ADBAffected if Model number contains SM-A500 or A5 (2015/2016/2017 variants)
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Verify themecenter app is installedCheck for package com.samsung.android.themecenter using ADB command: `pm list packages | grep themecenter`, or check in Settings > Apps > All AppsAffected if Package com.samsung.android.themecenter is present on the device
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Confirm firmware version is affectedCheck Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run `getprop ro.build.version.release` via ADB. Since all firmware versions are affected, any version confirms exposureAffected if Any Android/firmware version is installed on the Galaxy A5 (vulnerability affects all versions)
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Check for pre-installed apps with elevated permissionsReview pre-installed apps: run `dumpsys package signatureOrSystem` via ADB to list apps holding signatureOrSystem permissionsAffected if Any pre-installed app with signatureOrSystem permissions exists (these can invoke the vulnerable themecenter component)
If the device is a Samsung Galaxy A5 with the com.samsung.android.themecenter app installed, the device is affected by this vulnerability regardless of firmware version.
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 dataSamsung must release a firmware update patching the themecenter app to enforce proper permission checks on the exported installation component. Users should apply available security patches and avoid side-loading apps from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15434 — 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-2019-15434 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
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