AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2024-20833

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-05

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

66/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use after free vulnerability in pub_crypto_recv_msg prior to SMR Mar-2024 Release 1 due to race condition allows local attackers with system privilege to cause memory corruption.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the pub_crypto_recv_msg function in Samsung Mobile devices prior to the SMR March-2024 Release 1. The flaw stems from a race condition that allows a local attacker with system privileges to corrupt memory by accessing memory that has been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply the SMR March-2024 Release 1 or later security update to affected Samsung Mobile devices to address the use-after-free vulnerability in pub_crypto_recv_msg.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

AndroidOperating system

Affected:= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: High
Privileges: High
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Verify device is a Samsung Mobile device

Go to Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or Model name. Confirm the device is made by Samsung.

Affected if Device is not a Samsung product - the vulnerability does not apply to non-Samsung devices.
Check Android OS version

Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Record the major.minor version number (e.g., 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0).

Affected if Android version is 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 - these are the affected versions listed in the CVE.
Identify Samsung Maintenance Release (SMR) version

Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Build number. The SMR version appears in the format SMR-XXX-XXXX (e.g., SMR-Jan-2024, SMR-Feb-2024).

Affected if SMR version is before March-2024 Release 1 (for example, SMR-Feb-2024 or earlier). The vulnerability exists in versions prior to the March-2024 release.
Confirm security patch level

Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. This shows the date of the latest security update.

Affected if Security patch level is earlier than March 2024 - devices on older patch levels may be running the vulnerable code.

A Samsung Mobile device running Android 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 with a Security Patch Level or SMR version earlier than March-2024 Release 1 is likely affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply the SMR March-2024 Release 1 or later security update to affected Samsung Mobile devices to address the use-after-free vulnerability in pub_crypto_recv_msg.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Mar-2024 Release 1 (March 2024 Android Security Patch Level)

Check current Android security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level
Update the device to the March 2024 security patch level (SMR Mar-2024 Release 1) by checking for system updates in Settings > Software Update > Download and install
Verify the update was successful by confirming the Security patch level shows March 2024 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Information

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,120

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

security.samsungmobile.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-20833 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-20833?

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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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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 6.4 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.1%

Affects: Android

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Android 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,120

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You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References