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AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2024-34638

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Improper handling of exceptional conditions in ThemeCenter prior to SMR Sep-2024 Release 1 allows local attackers to delete non-preloaded applications.

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

Improper handling of exceptional conditions in Samsung's ThemeCenter system application (prior to Sep-2024 SMR) allows a local attacker to delete non-preloaded (user-installed) applications. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability where the theme management component fails to properly validate deletion permissions under certain error conditions.

MitigationApply the Samsung Mobile SMR Sep-2024 Release 1 or later patch which properly handles exceptional conditions in ThemeCenter. Organizations should ensure endpoint management policies enforce timely system updates on managed mobile devices.

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:= 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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 a Samsung Android device
    Check the device manufacturer and model via Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or run 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' in ADB shell
    Affected if Device manufacturer is not Samsung (vulnerability is Samsung-specific)
  2. Check Android version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shell
    Affected if Android version is 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 (exact versions match the affected ranges)
  3. Verify ThemeCenter application exists
    Check for com.samsung.android.themecenter package via ADB: 'pm list packages | grep themecenter' or in Settings > Apps > ThemeCenter
    Affected if ThemeCenter package is installed (vulnerability exists in this component)
  4. Check Samsung SMR (Security Maintenance Release) patch level
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Build number or run 'getprop ro.build.version.sem' in ADB shell
    Affected if SMR patch level is before Sep-2024 Release 1 (vulnerability unpatched)

User is affected if device is Samsung with Android 12.0/13.0/14.0, has ThemeCenter installed, and lacks Sep-2024 SMR patch or later.

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 Mobile SMR Sep-2024 Release 1 or later patch which properly handles exceptional conditions in ThemeCenter. Organizations should ensure endpoint management policies enforce timely system updates on managed mobile devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Sep-2024 Release 1 (September 2024 Security Update)

  1. Open Settings on the Samsung device
  2. Navigate to Software Update (or Settings > Security/Privacy > Software update on some models)
  3. Tap 'Download and install' to check for available updates
  4. Locate and install the SMR Sep-2024 Release 1 (September 2024 security patch)
  5. After installation, verify the security patch level is September 2024 or later in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level

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-2024-34638 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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
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