CVE-2021-25452
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 improper input validation vulnerability in loading graph file in DSP driver prior to SMR Sep-2021 Release 1 allows attackers to perform permanent denial of service on the device.
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 confidenceImproper input validation vulnerability in Samsung's DSP (Digital Signal Processor) driver when loading graph files allows attackers to trigger a permanent denial of service by providing malformed input that corrupts device state, rendering the device unusable.
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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify Android versionCheck the device Settings > About Phone > Android version to confirm it is either 10.0 or 11.0Affected if Android version is 10.0 or 11.0 - these are the only affected versions listed
-
Identify DSP driver presenceExamine /proc/modules or /sys/module directory for any loaded Samsung DSP kernel modules related to audio processingAffected if A Samsung DSP driver module is loaded and present on the device
-
Check for graph file loading interfaceLook for system APIs, system calls, or system server components that handle DSP graph file loading operationsAffected if The DSP graph file loading interface is exposed or accessible on the device
-
Confirm device state integrityTest basic DSP functionality such as audio playback, voice processing, or audio recording to verify the device state is not already corruptedAffected if DSP operations fail or the device exhibits persistent instability in audio-related functions
The device is affected if it runs Android 10.0 or 11.0 and contains the vulnerable Samsung DSP driver with graph file loading capability accessible to trigger the permanent denial of service condition.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate device firmware to SMR September-2021 Release 1 or later which implements proper input validation for DSP graph file loading.
SMR Sep-2021 Release 1 or later (Android security patch level September 2021)
- Check your Samsung device model and current Android/SMR version in Settings > About Phone
- Verify if an SMR (Samsung Mobile Release) update is available for your device
- Navigate to Settings > Software Update and tap 'Download and install' to update to SMR Sep-2021 Release 1 or later
- After updating, confirm the DSP driver vulnerability is patched by verifying the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information shows September 2021 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation10.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,832.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-25452 — 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-2021-25452 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data