dbcve.org
Galaxy J3 FirmwareOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2019-15451

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 J3 Android device with a build fingerprint of samsung/j3y17ltedx/j3y17lte:8.0.0/R16NW/J330GDXS3BSC1:user/release-keys contains a pre-installed app with a package name of com.samsung.android.themecenter app (versionCode=6010000, versionName=6.1.0.0) 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 J3 Android device contains a pre-installed themecenter app (com.samsung.android.themecenter v6.1.0.0) with an exported component that allows privileged app installation functionality. This component is accessible to other pre-installed apps holding signatureOrSystem permissions, enabling unauthorized app installation by any pre-installed app on the device.

MitigationThis vulnerability requires a firmware/security patch from Samsung to modify the themecenter app's component access controls. Users should await official carrier/OEM security updates; enterprise mobility managers should identify and monitor affected devices until a patch is available.

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 J3 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. Identify device model
    Check if the device is a Samsung Galaxy J3 by going to Settings > About Phone > Model Number, or run: `getprop ro.product.model`
    Affected if Model number contains 'J3' or 'SM-J' prefix indicating Galaxy J3 variant
  2. Verify themecenter app is installed
    Check if com.samsung.android.themecenter exists on the device by running: `pm list packages | grep themecenter` or via adb: `adb shell pm list packages | grep themecenter`
    Affected if Package com.samsung.android.themecenter is listed in installed packages
  3. Check themecenter app version
    Query the app version using: `dumpsys package com.samsung.android.themecenter | grep versionName` or via adb: `adb shell dumpsys package com.samsung.android.themecenter | grep versionName`
    Affected if Version is 6.1.0.0 specifically (the vulnerable version)
  4. Verify exported component exists
    Inspect the app manifest for exported components related to installation functionality using: `aapt dump badging /path/to/themecenter.apk | grep exported` or analyze with jadx to decompile and check AndroidManifest.xml for activity/service with INSTALL_PACKAGES permission or app installation intent handlers marked exported="true"
    Affected if An exported component within themecenter that handles package installation is present and accessible

If the device is a Samsung Galaxy J3 with themecenter version 6.1.0.0 installed and an exported installation-related component exists, the device is vulnerable to unauthorized app installation by other pre-installed apps.

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

This vulnerability requires a firmware/security patch from Samsung to modify the themecenter app's component access controls. Users should await official carrier/OEM security updates; enterprise mobility managers should identify and monitor affected devices until a patch is available.

Fix this in Galaxy J3 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,280
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,048.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15451 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-15451 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data