AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2025-20903

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-06

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

Official description

NVD · unedited

Improper access control in SecSettingsIntelligence prior to SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers to launch privileged activities. User interaction is required for triggering this vulnerability.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is an improper access control vulnerability in Samsung's SecSettingsIntelligence system app that allows local attackers to bypass permission checks and launch privileged activities. User interaction is required to trigger the exploit, and the vulnerability exists in versions prior to the SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 patch.

MitigationApply the SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 security update to SecSettingsIntelligence, which contains the proper access control fixes for this vulnerability.

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:= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Confirm you are using a Samsung Android device

Check the device manufacturer and model in Settings > About Phone > Device name or manufacturer

Affected if The device is not a Samsung device - this vulnerability only affects Samsung devices
Verify Android version is affected

Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version and note the version number

Affected if Android version is 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0 (versions outside this range are not affected)
Locate the SecSettingsIntelligence app

Open Settings > Apps > Menu > Show system apps, then search for 'SecSettingsIntelligence' or 'SecSettingsIntelligence app'

Affected if The SecSettingsIntelligence app is present on the device - this is the vulnerable component
Check the installed version of SecSettingsIntelligence

Tap on SecSettingsIntelligence in the apps list and view the 'App info' or 'Version' field under app details

Affected if Unable to determine version or version shows it was not updated to the SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 patch level
Check the Samsung security patch level

Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Security patch level

Affected if The security patch level is earlier than March 2025, indicating the SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 update has not been applied

You are affected if your Samsung Android device runs version 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0 AND has the SecSettingsIntelligence app installed AND has a security patch level prior to the SMR Mar-2025 Release 1.

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 Mar-2025 Release 1 security update to SecSettingsIntelligence, which contains the proper access control fixes for this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Mar-2025 Release 1 (March 2025 Samsung Security Update)

Verify current device model and Android version (Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Check for available Samsung updates: Settings > Software Update > Download and install
Ensure the installed security patch level is March 2025 or later (SMR Mar-2025 Release 1)
If no update available, contact Samsung support for device-specific patch availability

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

15.0 hours of engineering $2,640

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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-2025-20903 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-20903?

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 7.3 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Android

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Android 15 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,640

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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