dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2025-20955

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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 Export of Android Application Components in NotificationHistoryImageProvider prior to SMR May-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers to access notification images.

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

This is an improper export vulnerability in Samsung's NotificationHistoryImageProvider component. The component is exported without proper access controls, allowing any local application on the device to query and retrieve notification history images. This exposes potentially sensitive notification content to other apps installed on the same device.

MitigationApply the Samsung SMR May-2025 Release 1 or later security update to affected Galaxy devices. Organizations should ensure device management policies facilitate prompt security patch deployment.

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:= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0

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
None
Availability
None

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

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 on Samsung device
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The device is running Android 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0
  2. Verify NotificationHistoryImageProvider component exists
    Check app manifest or use ADB command 'dumpsys package <package_name>' to list components; the component resides in a Samsung system app
    Affected if The NotificationHistoryImageProvider component is present on the device
  3. Confirm component is exported without access controls
    Decompile the Samsung system APK containing NotificationHistoryImageProvider and inspect the AndroidManifest.xml for the android:exported="true" attribute without proper android:permission or android:protectionLevel constraints
    Affected if The component is exported as true with no permission or with a signature protection level that allows any local app access
  4. Check Samsung security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the May-2025 SMR (Security Maintenance Release)

A Samsung Android device is affected if it runs Android 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0 with a security patch level before May-2025 and has the vulnerable NotificationHistoryImageProvider component exported without proper access controls.

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 SMR May-2025 Release 1 or later security update to affected Galaxy devices. Organizations should ensure device management policies facilitate prompt security patch deployment.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SMR May-2025 Release 1

  1. Check the current Android security patch level on the Samsung device (Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security patch level)
  2. Apply the May-2025 security update through Settings > Software Update > Download and Install, or wait for OTA push notification
  3. Verify the security patch level shows May-2025 or later after the update completes

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $880
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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-2025-20955 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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