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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-20563

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with O(8.x) and P(9.0) (with TEEGRIS) software. The SEC_FR trustlet has an out of bounds write. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-15272 (October 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 · moderate confidence

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the SEC_FR trustlet within Samsung's TEEGRIS Trusted Execution Environment on devices running Android O (8.x) and P (9.0). This memory corruption flaw in a security-critical TEE component could allow an attacker to execute code with elevated privileges or escape the TEE sandbox, potentially gaining access to sensitive security functions and cryptographic keys.

MitigationApply Samsung's security firmware update (SVE-2019-15272) to affected devices. Since this is a TEE-level vulnerability requiring Samsung's firmware patch, organizations should inventory affected devices and prioritize patching through carrier/OEM update channels or enterprise mobile management solutions.

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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 manufacturer and model
    Check if the device is a Samsung device (e.g., via Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or model number). This vulnerability affects Samsung's TEEGRIS TEE specifically, so non-Samsung devices are not affected by this particular CVE.
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung device - the TEEGRIS TEE and SEC_FR trustlet are Samsung-specific components.
  2. Check Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB. Verify if the version is 8.0, 8.1, or 9.0.
    Affected if Android version equals 8.0, 8.1, or 9.0 - these are the specifically listed affected versions in the CVE.
  3. Verify TEEGRIS TEE is present
    Check for the presence of TEEGRIS by examining /vendor/etc/tzdb or similar TEE-related directories, or use 'getprop' to check for teegris-related properties (e.g., 'getprop | grep teegris').
    Affected if TEEGRIS TEE is present and running on the device - the vulnerability exists specifically within this trusted execution environment.
  4. Check TEE firmware version if accessible
    If root access is available, check /sys/class/misc/teed/version or consult Samsung's diagnostic interfaces for the TEE version. Compare against any publicly released fixed versions from Samsung's SVE-2019-15272 advisory.
    Affected if TEE firmware version is lower than the patched version released in Samsung's security update SVE-2019-15272.

A Samsung device running Android 8.0, 8.1, or 9.0 with the TEEGRIS TEE present is likely affected if the TEE firmware has not been updated via Samsung's security patch.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Samsung's security firmware update (SVE-2019-15272) to affected devices. Since this is a TEE-level vulnerability requiring Samsung's firmware patch, organizations should inventory affected devices and prioritize patching through carrier/OEM update channels or enterprise mobile management solutions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung security update released after October 2019 (SVE-2019-15272) - apply latest available Samsung security patch level

  1. Check for and apply the latest Samsung security update for your device model
  2. Navigate to Settings > Security > Security update on the Samsung device
  3. Alternatively, check for system updates via Settings > Software update > Download and install
  4. Ensure the device is running the most recent Android version supported for your specific Samsung model (Android 10 or higher if available)

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,840
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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-2019-20563 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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