CVE-2019-20532
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with O(8.x), P(9.0), and Q(10.0) software. Attackers can access the Developer options without authentication. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-15800 (December 2019).
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 confidenceOn Samsung mobile devices running Android O (8.x), P (9.0), and Q (10.0), an authentication bypass vulnerability allows attackers to access Developer options without credentials. This could enable USB debugging, unauthorized app installation, or data exfiltration.
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= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and verify the Android version. On Samsung devices, this is typically under Settings > About Device > Android Version.Affected if The device runs Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0.
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Confirm device manufacturerCheck if the device is a Samsung device by looking at the device name/model in Settings > About Phone > Model Number, or check Settings > About Device > Device Name.Affected if The device is a Samsung Galaxy or other Samsung mobile device running the affected Android versions.
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Verify Developer options accessibilityAttempt to access Developer options by going to Settings > Developer Options. On an unpatched device, this menu may be accessible without any authentication prompt or credential verification.Affected if Developer options are accessible without requiring any PIN, password, biometric, or other credential verification.
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Check USB debugging statusGo to Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging. If Developer options are accessible without authentication, USB debugging can be enabled by an unauthorized user.Affected if USB debugging can be enabled without any authentication step.
A user is affected if they are running Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 on a Samsung device where Developer options are accessible without any authentication or credential verification.
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 dataApply Samsung's security updates (SVE-2019-15800) to patch the authentication bypass. Until patched, restrict physical access to devices and disable Developer options via mobile device management (MDM) policies if possible.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-20532 — 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-2019-20532 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data