CVE-2022-33702
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 · uneditedImproper authorization vulnerability in Knoxguard prior to SMR Jul-2022 Release 1 allows local attacker to disable keyguard and bypass Knoxguard lock by factory reset.
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 confidenceImproper authorization in Knoxguard prior to SMR Jul-2022 Release 1 allows a local attacker to bypass the device lock by performing a factory reset, which disables the keyguard and defeats the Knoxguard anti-theft protection mechanism.
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= 11.0= 12.0CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 and Knoxguard presenceCheck if the device is a Samsung device and confirm Knoxguard is installed by examining system apps: on the device, go to Settings > Apps and search for 'Knoxguard' or check device info via 'Settings > About Phone' to confirm Samsung manufacturerAffected if Device is a Samsung device running Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 with Knoxguard installed
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Verify Android versionNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version and confirm the exact version number matches 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0Affected if Android version is exactly 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0
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Check Samsung SMR patch levelNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Software information and check the 'Security patch level' date. Compare against July 2022 (should show '2022-07-01' or later)Affected if Security patch level is earlier than July 2022 or the SMR Jul-2022 Release 1 patch is not applied
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Confirm Knoxguard anti-theft statusOpen Knoxguard app (if accessible) or check via Settings > Lock screen > Secure lock settings to verify if Knoxguard protection is enabled and configuredAffected if Knoxguard is enabled but device is running unpatched Android 10.0/11.0/12.0, making the anti-theft protection vulnerable to bypass via factory reset
A Samsung device running exactly Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 with a pre-July 2022 security patch level is affected, as the factory reset can bypass keyguard and defeat Knoxguard protection.
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 · scopedApply the Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) July 2022 or later patch to address the authorization bypass. Users should ensure devices are updated through official Samsung channels.
Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) July-2022 Release 1 or later
- Navigate to Settings on the Samsung device
- Tap on Software Update
- Tap on Download and Install
- Ensure the July 2022 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available and install it
- After installation, verify the security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level shows July 2022 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-33702 — 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-2022-33702 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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- 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