dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-25386

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_FVER() 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 · high confidence

An improper input validation vulnerability in sdfffd_parse_chunk_FVER() function in the libsdffextractor library allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the mediaextractor process. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 and stems from insufficient validation of input data when parsing FVER chunks.

MitigationApply the SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 patch to update libsdffextractor library, which implements proper input validation in the sdfffd_parse_chunk_FVER() function to prevent arbitrary code execution.

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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The version is 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0
  2. Locate libsdffextractor library
    Search for the library file on the device: run 'find /system -name libsdffextractor* 2>/dev/null' or 'find /vendor -name libsdffextractor* 2>/dev/null' via ADB shell
    Affected if The library file exists on the device, indicating the vulnerable component is present
  3. Check libsdffextractor version
    Run 'dumpsys package libsdffextractor' if available, or check the file metadata with 'ls -la <path_to_library>' to see build date
    Affected if The library version or build date is prior to the MAY-2021 SMR release, or version information cannot be verified and the Android version falls in the affected range
  4. Identify mediaextractor process activity
    Run 'ps -A | grep mediaextractor' or 'ps -A | grep mediaserver' via ADB shell to see if the process is running
    Affected if The mediaextractor or mediaserver process is active and the Android version is in the affected list

If the device runs Android 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 AND contains the libsdffextractor library, the environment is likely affected unless the MAY-2021 SMR patch has been applied.

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 SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 patch to update libsdffextractor library, which implements proper input validation in the sdfffd_parse_chunk_FVER() function to prevent arbitrary code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 (Security Patch Level May 2021)

  1. Check your Samsung device model and current Android/Security Patch version in Settings > About Phone > Software Information
  2. Visit Samsung's security updates portal at security.samsungmobile.com or check Settings > Security > Security update to verify if SMR MAY-2021 Release 1 is available for your specific device model
  3. If the update is available, download and install the May 2021 Security Maintenance Release (SMR) through Settings > Software Update > Download and Install
  4. After installation, verify the Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information shows May 2021 or later
  5. If no update is available for your device model, consider contacting Samsung support or your device carrier for patch availability
Caveat Security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; however, ensure backups of critical data before applying updates as a precaution

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2021-25386 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