dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-25385

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-11
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 improper input validation vulnerability in sdfffd_parse_chunk_PROP() in libsdffextractor library prior to SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on mediaextractor process.

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

An improper input validation vulnerability in sdfffd_parse_chunk_PROP() function within libsdffextractor library allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the mediaextractor process by providing specially crafted malformed input that the parsing function fails to properly validate before processing.

MitigationUpdate to SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 or later which contains the patched libsdffextractor library with proper input validation in the sdfffd_parse_chunk_PROP() function.

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:= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0

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. Check Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone to identify the Android OS version
    Affected if The version is 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 (exact match per the affected versions list)
  2. Locate libsdffextractor library
    Search for the library file using 'find /system -name libsdffextractor* 2>/dev/null' or 'ls -la /system/lib*/libsdffextractor*'
    Affected if The library file exists on the device at any path within /system or /vendor partitions
  3. Identify mediaextractor service
    Check for mediaextractor service using 'dumpsys media.extractor' or look for mediaserver/mediaextractor processes with 'ps -A | grep -i media'
    Affected if The mediaextractor service or process is running and accessible to accept input
  4. Verify SDFF parsing is accessible
    Check if any applications or services can pass SDFF-formatted input to the mediaextractor by examining permissions with 'dumpsys package <packagename>' or checking for apps with media extraction permissions
    Affected if Any application has the ability to provide media content to the mediaextractor process (standard Android media handling)
  5. Check for security context exposure
    Evaluate whether untrusted content can reach the mediaextractor by reviewing app permissions or testing with sample SDFF files if you have access to media extraction functionality
    Affected if The device allows untrusted or third-party applications to provide media input to the mediaextractor component

A device is affected if it runs Android 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 and contains the vulnerable libsdffextractor library that can process SDFF input through the mediaextractor service.

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

Update to SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 or later which contains the patched libsdffextractor library with proper input validation in the sdfffd_parse_chunk_PROP() function.

Recommended fix High confidence

Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) MAY-2021 Release 1 or later

  1. 1. Go to Settings on the Samsung Android device
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update (or Settings > System > Software Update)
  3. 3. Tap on 'Download and install' to check for available updates
  4. 4. If the May 2021 security update (SMR MAY-2021 Release 1) is available, download and install it
  5. 5. After installation, verify the update was applied by checking Settings > Software Update > Samsung software update policy or by checking the Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-25385 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