CVE-2020-25281
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 LG mobile devices with Android OS 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 8.0, and 8.1 software. Applications with sensitive security settings (such as the package verifier application) mishandle unknown-source installations. The LG ID is LVE-SMP-190002 (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 · moderate confidenceThe package verifier application on LG mobile devices with Android OS 7.0-8.1 mishandles unknown-source (sideloaded) app installations, allowing potentially malicious applications to bypass security validation checks. This affects the integrity of the app installation process on affected LG devices.
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= 7.0= 7.1= 7.2= 8.0= 8.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Confirm device is LGQuery the device manufacturer via 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' or check Settings > About Phone > ManufacturerAffected if Device is not manufactured by LG - the vulnerability only affects LG mobile devices with the package verifier flaw
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Check Android OS versionVerify the Android version is 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 8.0, or 8.1 via Settings > About Phone > Android version or 'getprop ro.build.version.release'Affected if Android version is outside the 7.0-8.1 range - devices on Android 9.0 and later are not affected
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Verify LG security patch levelCheck the installed security patch level via Settings > About Phone > Software info > Security patch level or 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch'Affected if Security patch level predates September 2020 or does not include LG patch LVE-SMP-190002
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Check unknown-source installation settingInspect whether 'Unknown sources' or 'Install unknown apps' is enabled in Settings > Security or Settings > Apps > Special accessAffected if Unknown-source installations are enabled - the vulnerability allows bypass of security validation for sideloaded apps when this setting is active
Device is affected if it is an LG phone running Android 7.0-8.1 with a pre-September-2020 security patch level and with unknown-source installations enabled
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 dataApply the vendor security patch released by LG (LVE-SMP-190002, September 2020) to all affected devices. Ensure enterprise mobile devices are updated to the latest LG-provided security updates or consider restricting unknown-source installations via MDM policies until patches are applied.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-25281 — 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-2020-25281 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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