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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-36858

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 GetCorrectDbLanguageTypeEsPKc() 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 · moderate confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in GetCorrectDbLanguageTypeEsPKc() function within Samsung's S Pen SDK library (libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so) allows attackers to corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or denial of service via memory access faults.

MitigationApply Samsung firmware update SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 or later to address the vulnerability in the affected S Pen recognition library.

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. Check Android version
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if Version is 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0
  2. Confirm device has Samsung S Pen support
    Check device model for S Pen capability (typically Galaxy Note or Galaxy S Ultra series) or check for S Pen-related system apps
    Affected if Device is a Samsung model with S Pen hardware support
  3. Locate the vulnerable S Pen SDK library
    Search for file 'libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so' in /system/lib or /vendor/lib directories using 'find /system -name libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so'
    Affected if Library file exists on the device (vulnerable library present)
  4. Verify S Pen recognition feature is enabled
    Check if S Pen related services or apps are active: run 'ps -A | grep -i spen' or inspect Settings > S Pen > Air actions
    Affected if S Pen feature or related services are running/enabled on the device

Device is affected if it runs Android 10/11/12, has Samsung S Pen hardware, contains the libSDKRecognitionText.spensdk.samsung.so library, and has S Pen functionality enabled.

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 Samsung firmware update SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 or later to address the vulnerability in the affected S Pen recognition library.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 (or later)

  1. Identify the specific Samsung device model being used (the vulnerability affects Samsung devices running Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 with the vulnerable SPen SDK library)
  2. Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software Information on the device
  3. Check the current Android version and Security Patch Level
  4. Navigate to Settings > Software Update and tap 'Download and Install' to check for available updates
  5. Ensure the device updates to SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 or later which contains the fix for this vulnerability
  6. Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > About Phone > Software Information and confirming the Security Patch Level reflects September 2022 or later
Caveat Samsung security updates are model-specific; not all devices receiving Android 10/11/12 may receive this specific SMR update - check Samsung's security updates portal for your specific model

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2022-36858 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