dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-25049

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-31
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 P(9.0) and Q(10.0) software. StatusBarService has insufficient DEX access control. The Samsung ID is SVE-2020-17797 (August 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 confidence

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Samsung's Android implementation where the StatusBarService system component lacks proper access control checks on DEX (Dalvik Executable) file loading. This allows an attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by exploiting insufficient validation of DEX files processed by the StatusBarService.

MitigationApply the August 2020 Samsung security patch (SVE-2020-17797) to affected Galaxy devices running Android P (9.0) and Q (10.0). Enterprise organizations should verify patch deployment status across device fleets.

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:= 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 Android version
    Check the device Settings > About Phone > Android version. The vulnerability affects only Android 9.0 (Pie) and Android 10.0 exactly.
    Affected if The installed Android version is exactly 9.0 or 10.0 (not a later version like 9.1, 10.1, or 11)
  2. Confirm device manufacturer
    Check Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or Model. This vulnerability exists in Samsung's implementation of Android, as the flaw is in the StatusBarService system component.
    Affected if The device is a Samsung Galaxy device running the affected Android versions
  3. Verify security patch level
    Check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. The fix (SVE-2020-17797) was released in the August 2020 Samsung security update.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than August 2020, or the August 2020 Samsung security update has not been applied
  4. Examine StatusBarService component
    On a rooted device, examine the StatusBarService system service configuration in /system/framework/ or via dumpsys activity service StatusBarService. The vulnerability involves insufficient validation of DEX files processed by this component.
    Affected if The StatusBarService component is present and processes external DEX files without proper access control validation (requires forensic analysis or device rooting to confirm)
  5. Check system integrity
    Use the device built-in BiometricPrompt or Gatekeeper services to verify system partition integrity. The vulnerability allows privilege escalation through unauthorized DEX loading.
    Affected if The system shows signs of unauthorized code execution or the system partition has been modified outside of official updates

A device is affected if it is a Samsung Galaxy device running Android 9.0 or 10.0 with a security patch level earlier than August 2020, where the StatusBarService component processes DEX files without proper access control validation.

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 August 2020 Samsung security patch (SVE-2020-17797) to affected Galaxy devices running Android P (9.0) and Q (10.0). Enterprise organizations should verify patch deployment status across device fleets.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Install Samsung security patch level August 2020 or later (SVE-2020-17797)

  1. Check your Samsung device model and current Android version in Settings > About Phone
  2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update and tap 'Download and install' to get the latest Samsung security update
  3. Alternatively, manually check for updates via Settings > Software Update > Download updates manually
  4. Ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi and charged during the update process
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software information > Security patch level shows August 2020 or later

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,790
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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-2020-25049 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