CVE-2019-20570
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 P(9.0), O(8.0), and N(7.1) software. Attackers can bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP) via Smart Switch. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-15138 (September 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 confidenceFactory Reset Protection (FRP) bypass vulnerability in Samsung Smart Switch application affecting devices running Android N(7.1), O(8.0), and P(9.0). Attackers can circumvent FRP security after performing a factory reset, allowing unauthorized device access and reuse.
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= 7.1= 8.0= 9.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Verify Android OS versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shell or terminal.Affected if The device runs Android 7.1, 8.0, or 9.0 exactly.
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Check if Samsung Smart Switch is installedOpen Settings > Apps > Smart Switch. Alternatively, check for package 'com.sec.android.app.samsungapps' or 'com.sec.android.app.smartfileswitcher' in installed packages list.Affected if Samsung Smart Switch application is present on the device.
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Confirm FRP protection statusPerform a factory reset (Settings > Reset > Factory data reset). Upon reboot, observe whether the device prompts for Google account credentials before allowing full access.Affected if After factory reset, the device grants full access without prompting for the previously configured Google account credentials.
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Review device security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Security patch level. This displays the installed Samsung security update date.Affected if Security patch level is earlier than the SVE-2019-15138 update release date for the specific device model.
A device is affected if it runs Android 7.1, 8.0, or 9.0, has Samsung Smart Switch installed, and after a factory reset allows access without requiring the original Google account credentials.
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 security updates (SVE-2019-15138) addressing the Smart Switch FRP bypass. Users should ensure devices are running the latest Samsung software and avoid using untrusted Smart Switch versions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-20570 — 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-2019-20570 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