dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2024-20818

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-06
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
Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities in svc1td_vld_elh of libsthmbc.so prior to SMR Feb-2024 Release 1 allows local attackers to trigger buffer overflow.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the svc1td_vld_elh function within libsthmbc.so, a thumbnail processing library. The out-of-bounds write allows local attackers to overflow a buffer, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the SMR Feb-2024 Release 1 update or later to obtain the patched version of libsthmbc.so.

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:= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0

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 device is Samsung Android
    Check the device manufacturer and model through Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer (should show Samsung) or run 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' via ADB
    Affected if Device is not manufactured by Samsung, as the vulnerability affects only Samsung Android devices
  2. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Android version is 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0, matching the affected version range
  3. Locate libsthmbc.so thumbnail library
    Search for libsthmbc.so on the device filesystem, typically found in /system/lib64/ or /vendor/lib64/ directories using 'find / -name libsthmbc.so 2>/dev/null' via ADB
    Affected if The library file exists on the device, indicating the thumbnail processing component is present
  4. Identify library version or build date
    Run 'ls -l' on the libsthmbc.so file to check its modification timestamp, or use 'strings' to search for version strings within the binary
    Affected if The library version predates the Feb-2024 SMR update or cannot be verified as the patched version
  5. Determine if thumbnail processing is in use
    Monitor process activity during thumbnail generation (via 'ps -A' or Activity Manager) or check if apps that generate thumbnails (Gallery, Camera, File Manager) are installed and active
    Affected if Thumbnail processing features are actively used on the device, as the vulnerability resides in the thumbnail processing path

The device is affected if it is a Samsung Android device running version 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 with a pre-Feb-2024 version of libsthmbc.so present and thumbnail processing 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 the SMR Feb-2024 Release 1 update or later to obtain the patched version of libsthmbc.so.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Feb-2024 Release 1 (February 2024 Samsung Security Patch Level)

  1. Check your current Android security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
  2. Ensure your Samsung device is updated to SMR Feb-2024 Release 1 or later security update
  3. Go to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install to check for available updates
  4. If no update is available, check with your carrier or regional Samsung support for update availability
  5. For enterprise-managed devices, deploy the February 2024 Samsung security patch through your EMM/MDM solution

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2024-20818 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