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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-25279

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-11
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 baseband component has a buffer overflow via an abnormal SETUP message, leading to execution of arbitrary code. The Samsung ID is SVE-2020-18098 (September 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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the baseband component of Samsung mobile devices running Android O (8.x), P (9.0), and Q (10.0) on Exynos chipsets. The overflow is triggered by processing an abnormal SETUP message and can lead to arbitrary code execution with baseband processor privileges.

MitigationApply Samsung's September 2020 security update (SVE-2020-18098) or later. Organizations should inventory Exynos-based Samsung devices and ensure they receive and install the vendor patch.

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 device settings: Settings > About Phone > Model Number and Chipset information. On Samsung Exynos devices, the chipset is typically listed as Exynos (e.g., Exynos 9xxx) in benchmark apps or kernel logs.
    Affected if Device is NOT a Samsung phone with an Exynos chipset - the vulnerability only affects Exynos-based Samsung devices
  2. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Record the exact version number.
    Affected if Android version is 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 - these are the affected versions per the CVE
  3. Verify security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Note the date shown (e.g., September 1, 2020, October 1, 2020, etc.).
    Affected if Security patch level is BEFORE September 2020 (e.g., August 2020 or earlier). The fix was released in Samsung's September 2020 security update.
  4. Confirm Exynos baseband is in use
    Check via dialer code *#0*# or through device info apps that display baseband/modem details. The modem version string typically contains 'samsung' or Exynos references.
    Affected if Unable to confirm baseband processor is Exynos-based - the vulnerability exists specifically in the Exynos baseband component

A device is affected if it is a Samsung phone with an Exynos chipset, running Android 8.0-10.0, and has a security patch level earlier than September 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's September 2020 security update (SVE-2020-18098) or later. Organizations should inventory Exynos-based Samsung devices and ensure they receive and install the vendor patch.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Update to the latest available Samsung Android security patch (October 2020 or later) or upgrade to Android 11+ if supported by the device

  1. Check your current Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update and download/install any available updates
  3. Ensure you install the latest Samsung security patch (post-September 2020)
  4. If updates are not available for your specific device model, consider upgrading to a newer device that receives active security support
  5. For enterprise/managed devices, ensure mobile device management (MDM) policies enforce regular security updates
Caveat Some older Samsung devices may not receive Android 11 upgrades; check device compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,920
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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-2020-25279 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