CVE-2020-11601
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) and Q(10.0) software. There is unauthorized access to applications in the Secure Folder via floating icons. The Samsung ID is SVE-2019-16195 (April 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 · moderate confidenceOn Samsung mobile devices running Android P (9.0) and Q (10.0), a vulnerability allows unauthorized access to applications stored within the Secure Folder through floating UI icons. This appears to be a UI/UX security bypass where floating icons (likely home screen widgets or shortcuts) can be manipulated or interacted with to bypass the secure folder's isolation protections, allowing access to sensitive applications without proper authentication.
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= 9.0= 10.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Identify the device manufacturerCheck the device settings or system information to confirm the device is a Samsung model. This vulnerability specifically affects Samsung mobile devices.Affected if The device is not a Samsung device, then it is not affected by this CVE.
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Verify the Android versionNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or use 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell. Confirm the version is 9.0 or 10.0.Affected if The Android version is not 9.0 or 10.0, then the device is not within the affected version range.
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Determine if Secure Folder is in useCheck if the Secure Folder application is installed and configured on the device. Look for the Secure Folder app icon in the app drawer or check Settings > Biometrics and security > Secure Folder.Affected if Secure Folder is not configured or used, the vulnerability cannot be exploited as there would be no protected applications to access.
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Inspect floating UI icon behaviorObserve whether floating icons or shortcuts related to Secure Folder applications are present on the home screen or overlays. These floating icons could potentially be manipulated to bypass authentication.Affected if Floating UI icons for Secure Folder applications exist and can be interacted with without requiring Secure Folder authentication, the device may be vulnerable.
A Samsung device running Android 9.0 or 10.0 with Secure Folder enabled and exposed through floating UI icons is affected by this vulnerability.
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 dataOrganizations should inventory affected Samsung devices running Android P/Q, enforce policies restricting Secure Folder usage for sensitive corporate data, and apply Samsung's monthly security updates once available through carrier or Samsung's firmware channels.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11601 — 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-2020-11601 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
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