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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-36843

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A heap-based overflow vulnerability in MHW_RECOG_LIB_INFO function in libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so library prior to SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 allows attacker to cause memory access fault.

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 confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the MHW_RECOG_LIB_INFO function within the Samsung S Pen SDK library (libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so) on devices running firmware versions prior to SMR September-2022 Release 1. The overflow allows an attacker to trigger memory access faults, potentially leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the Samsung SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 firmware update or later to patch the vulnerable libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so library. For enterprise deployments, inventory affected devices and deploy the vendor firmware update through established patch management processes.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm Samsung device with S Pen support
    Identify the device model and verify it is a Samsung device that includes S Pen functionality (e.g., Galaxy Note series, Galaxy S21/S22 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S series with S Pen)
    Affected if Device is not a Samsung S Pen-enabled device - the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Verify Android version is 10, 11, or 12
    Check the Android OS version on the device (Settings > About Phone > Android version)
    Affected if Android version is not 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 - these are the only affected versions listed
  3. Check SMR firmware version
    Check the Samsung Mobile Release (SMR) firmware version - typically found in Settings > About Phone > Software information > Build number or SMR version. Look for the SMR date (e.g., SMR Sep-2022 = SMR5, SMR6, etc.)
    Affected if SMR version is prior to September-2022 Release 1 - this is the vulnerable condition
  4. Verify vulnerable library exists
    Check for the presence of libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so in the device filesystem, typically in /system/lib/ or /vendor/lib/ directories
    Affected if The library file exists on the device - this confirms the attack surface is present

Device is affected if it is a Samsung S Pen-enabled device running Android 10, 11, or 12 with firmware prior to SMR September-2022 Release 1, and the libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so library is present on the system.

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

Apply the Samsung SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 firmware update or later to patch the vulnerable libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so library. For enterprise deployments, inventory affected devices and deploy the vendor firmware update through established patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 (Security Maintenance Release)

  1. Check current Samsung security patch level in Settings > About phone > Software information > Security patch level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than September 2022, go to Settings > Software update and tap Download and install
  3. If no update is available, check if the device model is listed on Samsung's security updates page (security.samsungmobile.com) for Sep-2022 SMR support
  4. For enterprise-managed devices, contact the mobile device management (MDM) administrator to push the SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 update via OTA
  5. If the device is no longer supported, consider migrating to a newer Samsung device that receives monthly security updates
Caveat Security patches typically have minimal risk; some older devices may no longer receive monthly updates after their support window ends

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-36843 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