dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-22268

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
66/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Incorrect implementation of Knox Guard prior to SMR Jan-2022 Release 1 allows physically proximate attackers to temporary unlock the Knox Guard via Samsung DeX mode.

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

This vulnerability in Samsung Knox Guard (prior to SMR Jan-2022 Release 1) allows physically proximate attackers to temporarily bypass the Knox Guard security feature via Samsung DeX mode. An attacker with physical access to the device can leverage the DeX interface to unlock the otherwise-locked Knox Guard, bypassing enterprise security controls.

MitigationUpdate Samsung mobile devices to SMR Jan-2022 Release 1 or later to receive the patch. Organizations should verify that Knox Guard policies are enforced and consider additional physical access controls for devices with sensitive enterprise data.

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:= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0

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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device is Samsung and identify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Verify the device is a Samsung model and note the Android version number.
    Affected if Android version equals 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 and the device is a Samsung (Knox Guard is Samsung-specific)
  2. Check if Knox Guard is provisioned
    Open Samsung Members app or navigate to Settings > Security > Knox Guard. Look for Knox Guard enrollment status or whether the feature is listed as active.
    Affected if Knox Guard is enabled or provisioned on the device
  3. Determine if Samsung DeX is available
    Check if the device supports DeX: search for DeX in Settings, or if using a Samsung Galaxy S/Samsung Galaxy Note series, verify DeX app or desktop mode is present. Also check Settings > Samsung DeX.
    Affected if Samsung DeX feature is present and accessible on the device
  4. Check Samsung Maintenance Release (SMR) version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Maintenance release number (or SMR). Note the SMR date and version.
    Affected if SMR version is before the January 2022 Release 1 patch

A user is affected if they have a Samsung device running Android 9.0-12.0 with Knox Guard enabled, DeX is available on the device, and the SMR is earlier than the Jan-2022 Release 1 patch.

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 Samsung mobile devices to SMR Jan-2022 Release 1 or later to receive the patch. Organizations should verify that Knox Guard policies are enforced and consider additional physical access controls for devices with sensitive enterprise data.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Jan-2022 Release 1 or later (Android security patch level January 2022)

  1. Check your current Android security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
  2. Navigate to Settings > Software Update and tap 'Download and install' to check for available updates
  3. If an update is available, ensure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery (at least 50%)
  4. Download and install the January 2022 SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) security update or later
  5. After installation, verify the security patch level has been updated to January 2022 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2022-22268 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