dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-13836

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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) software. HWRResProvider allows path traversal for data exposure. The Samsung ID is SVE-2020-16954 (June 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

HWRResProvider (Handwriting Recognition Resource Provider) on Samsung mobile devices with Android O(8.x), P(9.0), and Q(10.0) contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to access files outside the intended directory through manipulation of file path references (e.g., using '../' sequences). This enables unauthorized read access to sensitive device data.

MitigationApply the Samsung security patch released in June 2020 (SVE-2020-16954) to all affected devices. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates from Samsung.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device manufacturer
    Check if the device is a Samsung mobile device (the vulnerability only affects Samsung devices)
    Affected if Device is not made by Samsung - this vulnerability is Samsung-specific
  2. Check Android version
    Verify the Android OS version is 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0
    Affected if Android version is 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 (exact versions, not ranges)
  3. Check security patch level
    Verify if the June 2020 Samsung security patch (SVE-2020-16954) has been applied
    Affected if Security patch level is earlier than June 2020 or unknown
  4. Verify handwriting recognition component
    Confirm the HWRResProvider (Handwriting Recognition Resource Provider) is present and accessible on the device
    Affected if HWRResProvider is accessible and device meets version criteria above

User is affected if they use a Samsung mobile device running Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 that has not received the June 2020 security patch.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Samsung security patch released in June 2020 (SVE-2020-16954) to all affected devices. Users should ensure their devices receive regular security updates from Samsung.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,030
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,648.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13836 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-13836 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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