dbcve.org
Galaxy S7 Edge FirmwareOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2019-15449

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The Samsung S7 Edge Android device with a build fingerprint of samsung/hero2ltexx/hero2lte:8.0.0/R16NW/G935FXXS4ESC3: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 · moderate confidence

The Samsung S7 Edge (build G935FXXS4ESC3) contains a pre-installed themecenter app (com.samsung.android.themecenter v7.0.0.0) with an exported component that allows privileged app installation. This component is accessible to other pre-installed apps holding signatureOrSystem permissions, enabling unauthorized app installation without user consent.

MitigationApply vendor firmware updates from Samsung; enterprises should audit device fleets for affected units and consider device replacement or enhanced mobile device management policies.

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 S7 Edge FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device model is Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Model Number, or run `getprop ro.product.model` via ADB shell
    Affected if Model number is anything other than SM-G935x (where x is F, FD, FDD, etc.)
  2. Check firmware build version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number, or run `getprop ro.build.display.id` via ADB shell
    Affected if Build is any Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge firmware (this vulnerability affects all versions)
  3. Verify themecenter app is installed and check version
    Run `dumpsys package com.samsung.android.themecenter` via ADB shell, or check in Settings > Apps > Theme Center
    Affected if Package com.samsung.android.themecenter exists with version 7.0.0.0 or any version containing the vulnerable component
  4. Audit recently installed applications for unauthorized apps
    Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps, sort by install date, or run `adb shell pm list packages -i` to list packages with their installers
    Affected if Any app appears installed without user consent, or an unknown app is present with installer showing as 'com.samsung.android.themecenter' or another privileged system app
  5. Check for apps holding signatureOrSystem permissions
    Run `dumpsys package <package_name> | grep -i permission` for suspect apps, or use a permission audit tool
    Affected if Any pre-installed app (other than known Samsung system apps) holds signatureOrSystem permissions and could invoke the vulnerable exported component

If the device is a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with the themecenter app (com.samsung.android.themecenter) installed, the device is potentially affected; presence of unauthorized apps installed by system-level packages would confirm active exploitation.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor firmware updates from Samsung; enterprises should audit device fleets for affected units and consider device replacement or enhanced mobile device management policies.

Fix this in Galaxy S7 Edge Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,920
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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-2019-15449 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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