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Galaxy S9 FirmwareOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2019-6742

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-06-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.4.20.2 or later.
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
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Samsung Galaxy S9 prior to 1.4.20.2. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of the GameServiceReceiver update mechanism. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-7477.

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 critical vulnerability in the GameServiceReceiver update mechanism on Samsung Galaxy S9 devices prior to firmware 1.4.20.2 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. The flaw exists in how the receiver handles update operations, enabling code injection during the update process.

MitigationUpdate Samsung Galaxy S9 devices to firmware version 1.4.20.2 or later to patch the vulnerability. Organizations should use MDM solutions to verify all fleet devices have received the security update.

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 S9 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.4.20.2

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 the device model
    Check the device model number in Settings > About Phone > Model Number, or run `getprop ro.product.model` via ADB
    Affected if The device is not a Samsung Galaxy S9 (model number SM-G9600, SM-G9608, or SM-G960F variants)
  2. Check the firmware version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build number, or run `getprop ro.build.version.release` or `getprop ro.build.id` via ADB
    Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version information
  3. Compare against vulnerable version range
    Compare your firmware build number or version against 1.4.20.2 - note that the affected range is any version less than 1.4.20.2
    Affected if Firmware version is below 1.4.20.2 (for example, 1.4.18.0, 1.3.45.2, etc.)
  4. Verify GameServiceReceiver presence
    Check if the GameServiceReceiver component is installed by reviewing installed packages via `pm list packages` or checking app settings - this is the affected component
    Affected if GameServiceReceiver is present on the device

The device is affected if it is a Samsung Galaxy S9 running firmware version lower than 1.4.20.2 with the GameServiceReceiver component installed.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.4.20.2 or later
Fixed in 1.4.20.2
Interim mitigation

Update Samsung Galaxy S9 devices to firmware version 1.4.20.2 or later to patch the vulnerability. Organizations should use MDM solutions to verify all fleet devices have received the security update.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Samsung Galaxy S9 Firmware version 1.4.20.2

  1. Check current firmware version on the Samsung Galaxy S9 device under Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Download official Samsung firmware version 1.4.20.2 or later from Samsung's official firmware database or through Settings > Software Update
  3. Install the firmware update using Samsung's built-in update mechanism (Settings > Software Update > Download and Install)
  4. Alternatively, use Samsung's Odin tool to flash the firmware manually if over-the-air update is unavailable
  5. After installation, verify the firmware version is 1.4.20.2 or later under Settings > About Phone > Software Information

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

Fix this in Galaxy S9 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
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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-2019-6742 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