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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-35551

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-18
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. They allow attackers to conduct RPMB state-change attacks because an unauthorized RPMB write operation can be replayed, a related issue to CVE-2020-13799. The Samsung ID is SVE-2020-18100 (December 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

A critical vulnerability in Samsung mobile devices with Exynos chipsets (O 8.x, P 9.0, Q 10.0) allows attackers to conduct RPMB state-change attacks by replaying unauthorized RPMB write operations. This compromises the Replay Protected Memory Block secure storage, potentially enabling privilege escalation or bypass of security controls.

MitigationApply Samsung security patch SVE-2020-18100 (December 2020) or upgrade to a patched Android version on affected Exynos-based Samsung 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
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. Confirm device is a Samsung mobile phone
    Check the device manufacturer in Settings > About Phone or on the device packaging/physical device label
    Affected if Device is not made by Samsung, this CVE does not apply
  2. Verify the chipset is Exynos-based
    Check device specifications on Samsung's website, GSMArena, or in Settings > About Phone > Chipset/Processor information; Exynos chipsets are typically identified by model numbers starting with 'Exynos' (e.g., Exynos 7904, Exynos 9610, Exynos 990)
    Affected if Device uses a Qualcomm, MediaTek, or other non-Exynos chipset, this CVE does not apply
  3. Check the Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version; verify the exact version number displayed
    Affected if Version is NOT 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0, the device is not in the affected version range for this CVE
  4. Confirm the security patch level (optional context)
    Check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level; this does not detect the vulnerability but helps determine if mitigation has been applied
    Affected if Device remains on the original unpatched security level for Android 8.0-10.0 without the December 2020 Samsung security update

Device is affected if it is a Samsung mobile phone with an Exynos chipset running Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 and has not received the December 2020 Samsung security patch SVE-2020-18100.

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 security patch SVE-2020-18100 (December 2020) or upgrade to a patched Android version on affected Exynos-based Samsung devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

December 2020 security patch level (SVE-2020-18100) or later for Samsung Exynos devices

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Verify if the device has received the December 2020 security update or later (security patch level 2020-12-01 or higher)
  3. If the device has not been updated, check for system updates in Settings > Software Update and download/install any available updates
  4. For enterprise or managed devices, ensure the device management system pushes the December 2020 Samsung security update
  5. After updating, verify the security patch level shows December 2020 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  6. Note: If the device is no longer supported by Samsung and cannot receive updates, consider replacing with a supported device
Caveat Devices that have reached end-of-life may not receive this security update and would need to be replaced

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-35551 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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