CVE-2021-25416
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 · uneditedAssuming EL1 is compromised, an improper address validation in RKP prior to SMR JUN-2021 Release 1 allows local attackers to create executable kernel page outside code area.
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 confidenceThis is a Samsung-specific vulnerability in RKP (Real-time Kernel Protection), their kernel hardening solution. When EL1 (kernel mode) is already compromised, improper address validation allows attackers to create executable kernel pages outside the legitimate code area, potentially enabling code injection or persistence after initial kernel compromise.
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= 10.0= 11.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Identify device manufacturerCheck if the device is a Samsung device (e.g., via 'getprop ro.product.brand' or 'getprop ro.manufacturer').Affected if Device is not Samsung - RKP (Real-time Kernel Protection) is Samsung-specific and this CVE does not apply to non-Samsung devices.
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Check Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' to determine the installed Android version.Affected if Android version is 10.0 or 11.0 - these are the versions affected by this CVE according to the provided product version ranges.
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Confirm RKP is presentCheck for RKP presence in the kernel - look for 'rkp' in /proc/cmdline or check /sys/kernel/security/rkp directory existence if available, or use 'getprop ro.boot.rkp' to query RKP status.Affected if RKP is not present on the device - this is a Samsung RKP-specific vulnerability and requires RKP to be installed for the flaw to be exploitable.
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Verify kernel hardening statusIf RKP is present, check its active protection status via available Samsung-specific security interfaces or sysfs entries related to RKP (e.g., /sys/kernel/security/rkp/rkp_status).Affected if RKP is present but disabled or not running - the vulnerability requires RKP to be active; however, note this CVE describes a bypass that applies even when RKP is running.
A Samsung device running Android 10.0 or 11.0 with RKP (Real-time Kernel Protection) enabled is potentially affected by this vulnerability, which allows code injection after initial kernel compromise.
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 dataUpdate to Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) June 2021 or later, which contains the patched RKP with proper address validation. For out-of-support devices, consider kernel firmware updates if available.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-25416 — 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-2021-25416 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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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.
- 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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