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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-10836

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), P(9.0), and Q(10.0) (Exynos chipsets) software. The Widevine Trustlet allows read and write operations on arbitrary memory locations. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-15873 (February 2020).

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 vulnerability in the Widevine Trustlet on Samsung mobile devices with Exynos chipsets (Android O/P/Q) allows arbitrary memory read and write operations. This trusted execution environment (TEE) component handles DRM and should enforce strict memory isolation, but the flaw permits a privileged attacker to read/write to any memory location, potentially bypassing DRM protections and extracting cryptographic material.

MitigationApply Samsung security updates released after February 2020; this vulnerability requires an OEM firmware patch and cannot be mitigated through configuration changes. Until the device receives the vendor update, treat the device as high-risk for sensitive operations.

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= 10.0

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 chipset
    Check if the device is Samsung and uses an Exynos chipset. On Android, go to Settings > About Phone > CPU architecture or use 'getprop ro.hardware' and 'getprop ro.product.brand' via ADB.
    Affected if The device is a Samsung device with an Exynos (not Qualcomm) chipset.
  2. Confirm Android version
    Check the Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB.
    Affected if The Android version is exactly 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0.
  3. Verify Widevine DRM is present
    Check for Widevine support. On Android, go to Settings > Widevine DRM (often under Security or Apps) or use a DRM info app from the Play Store.
    Affected if Widevine DRM is present and enabled on the device.
  4. Check security patch level
    Check the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB.
    Affected if The security patch level is dated before the February 2020 Samsung security update.

The device is affected if it is a Samsung device with an Exynos chipset, runs Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0, has Widevine DRM enabled, and has not received the Samsung security patch released after February 2020.

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 security updates released after February 2020; this vulnerability requires an OEM firmware patch and cannot be mitigated through configuration changes. Until the device receives the vendor update, treat the device as high-risk for sensitive operations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any Samsung device running Android 11 or later with the February 2020 security patch (SVE-2019-15873) applied

  1. Check for and apply the latest Samsung security patch level for your device. Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update and download any available updates.
  2. Verify the security patch level includes the fix for SVE-2019-15873. The fix was released in the February 2020 Samsung security patch or later.
  3. If no update is available from your carrier or Samsung, consider upgrading to a device that receives active security support.
  4. For enterprise or managed devices, contact your mobile device management (MDM) provider for guidance on Samsung security updates.
Caveat Upgrading Android versions may result in data loss; ensure backups are performed before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,280
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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-2020-10836 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