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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-26098

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-11
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
Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in sheifd_create function of libsimba library prior to SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 allows code execution by remote attackers.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the sheifd_create function of the libsimba library allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects versions prior to the SMR Apr-2022 Release 1, likely due to improper bounds checking when processing image files.

MitigationUpgrade libsimba library to SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, minimize attack surface by restricting network exposure and validating input files before processing.

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:= 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
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. Locate libsimba library on the device
    Search for libsimba.so in /system/lib or /vendor/lib directories using 'find / -name libsimba.so 2>/dev/null' or check via 'adb shell ls -la /system/lib/libsimba.so'
    Affected if The library file exists on the device, indicating libsimba is present
  2. Determine libsimba library version
    Run 'strings libsimba.so | grep -i version' or check library metadata via 'getprop ro.build.version.sdk' combined with vendor-specific queries, or inspect the library binary for version strings
    Affected if The library version string predates the SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or cannot be verified as the fixed version
  3. Verify Android OS version
    Check via 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' or Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if The device runs Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 specifically, matching the affected version range
  4. Confirm HEIF/HEIC image processing capability
    Check if apps with image processing features (camera, gallery, messaging) have access to libsimba by reviewing app permissions and scanning for HEIF decoder usage via 'adb shell dumpsys package' for packages using the library
    Affected if Applications process HEIF/HEIC image files and rely on libsimba for decoding, enabling the vulnerable code path
  5. Identify sheifd_create function usage
    Analyze network-exposed services or apps that accept image input from untrusted sources and trace whether they call the sheifd_create function in libsimba; review any image processing logs or debug output
    Affected if The sheifd_create function is invoked with user-supplied image data without additional input validation

The device is affected if it runs Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0, contains the libsimba library with a version prior to the SMR Apr-2022 Release 1, and processes HEIF/HEIC images through the vulnerable sheifd_create function.

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

Upgrade libsimba library to SMR Apr-2022 Release 1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, minimize attack surface by restricting network exposure and validating input files before processing.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Apr-2022 Release 1

  1. 1. Check for system software updates on the Samsung Android device
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > Software update > Download and install
  3. 3. Ensure the device updates to SMR (Samsung Monthly Release) April-2022 or later
  4. 4. Verify the patch level by going to Settings > About phone > Software information and confirming the security patch date is April 2022 or later
Caveat Security patches typically have no breaking changes; this is a critical security update

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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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-2022-26098 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