dbcve.org
Wear OsOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2025-20986

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-04
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 access control in ScreenCapture for Galaxy Watch prior to SMR Jun-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers to take screenshots.

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

This vulnerability in Samsung's ScreenCapture application for Galaxy Watch devices allows a local attacker to bypass access controls and capture screenshots without proper authorization. The issue stems from insufficient permission validation in the ScreenCapture functionality, enabling unauthorized screen capture. The flaw affects devices running versions prior to the SMR June-2025 Release 1.

MitigationUpdate Galaxy Watch devices to SMR Jun-2025 Release 1 or later to apply Samsung's security patch. Organizations should ensure devices are enrolled in Samsung's update management and verify compliance status.

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
Wear OsOperating system
Affected:= 5.0

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. Verify Galaxy Watch model and OS version
    On the Galaxy Watch, go to Settings > About Watch > Software Information. Confirm the device is running Wear OS and note the OS version number displayed.
    Affected if The device runs Wear OS version 5.0 (the affected version)
  2. Check the SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version
    On the Galaxy Watch, go to Settings > About Watch > Software Information. Look for the SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version field. This is the Samsung-specific patch level.
    Affected if The SMR version is earlier than Jun-2025 Release 1 (SMR Jun-2025-1)
  3. Confirm ScreenCapture application is present
    On the Galaxy Watch, open the app drawer and look for the ScreenCapture or Screen Recorder application. Alternatively, check in Settings > Apps for Samsung ScreenCapture.
    Affected if The ScreenCapture app is installed and accessible on the device
  4. Verify screenshot permissions configuration
    Go to Settings > Privacy > Permissions on the Galaxy Watch. Check if the ScreenCapture app has permissions to access the screen or media. The vulnerability allows bypassing these controls, so permission presence alone does not indicate exploitation.
    Affected if ScreenCapture has any permissions granted, indicating the vulnerable code path exists

A user is affected if their Galaxy Watch runs Wear OS 5.0 with an SMR version earlier than the June-2025 Release 1, as this is the vulnerable configuration where unauthorized screen capture is possible.

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

Update Galaxy Watch devices to SMR Jun-2025 Release 1 or later to apply Samsung's security patch. Organizations should ensure devices are enrolled in Samsung's update management and verify compliance status.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Jun-2025 Release 1 (or later) for Galaxy Watch Wear OS 5.0

  1. 1. On the Galaxy Watch, navigate to Settings > Software update, or use the Galaxy Wearable app on the connected smartphone
  2. 2. Check for available updates
  3. 3. Download and install the SMR Jun-2025 Release 1 or later update
  4. 4. Verify the update was successfully applied by checking the software version

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

Fix this in Wear Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2025-20986 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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