dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2019-20572

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(8.1) and P(9.0) (Exynos chipsets) software. load_kernel has a buffer overflow via untrusted data. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-14939 (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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the load_kernel function on Samsung mobile devices running Android O (8.1) and P (9.0) with Exynos chipsets. The vulnerability is triggered by untrusted data being processed without proper bounds checking, allowing potential memory corruption that could lead to code execution or system compromise.

MitigationApply the Samsung security patch (SVE-2019-14939) via firmware update. Organizations should inventory affected Samsung devices with Exynos chipsets running Android 8.1 or 9.0 and prioritize applying the vendor patch once 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
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 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. Confirm you have a Samsung mobile device
    Check the device model number in Settings > About Phone > Model Number. Verify the manufacturer is Samsung.
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung mobile phone or tablet
  2. Check the Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Info > Android Version. Verify the version is exactly 8.1 or 9.0.
    Affected if Android version is not 8.1 or 9.0 (other versions are not affected)
  3. Identify the chipset architecture
    Check the device technical specifications or use a system info app to determine if the device uses an Exynos chipset. This information is typically listed in the processor or chipset specifications.
    Affected if Device uses a non-Exynos chipset (such as Qualcomm Snapdragon)
  4. Verify the vulnerable kernel component exists
    This is a kernel-level vulnerability in the load_kernel function. The presence of this function is confirmed in affected Samsung Exynos firmware for Android 8.1 and 9.0.
    Affected if All three conditions above are met: Samsung device + Android 8.1 or 9.0 + Exynos chipset

A Samsung mobile device running Android 8.1 or 9.0 with an Exynos chipset is affected by this vulnerability in the load_kernel function.

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 the Samsung security patch (SVE-2019-14939) via firmware update. Organizations should inventory affected Samsung devices with Exynos chipsets running Android 8.1 or 9.0 and prioritize applying the vendor patch once available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung Android 10 or later with October 2019 security patch level or higher

  1. Check your device model and carrier variant at Settings > About Phone > Model Number
  2. Identify your current Android security patch level at Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security Patch Level
  3. Navigate to Settings > Software Update > Download and install to check for available updates
  4. If no update is available, contact your device carrier or Samsung customer support for patch availability
  5. Alternatively, consider upgrading to Android 10 or later if your device model supports it, as newer Android versions include the security fixes
Caveat Upgrading to Android 10 may remove support for some carrier-specific apps or features; some older Exynos devices may not receive Android 10 updates

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-2019-20572 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