dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2025-21033

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-03
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 ContactProvider prior to SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers to access sensitive information.

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

Improper access control in Android's ContactProvider component allows a local attacker to bypass intended permission boundaries and access sensitive contact information without proper authorization. This is a local privilege escalation issue in Samsung mobile devices prior to the September 2025 SMR release.

MitigationApply the Samsung SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 or later security update to affected devices to patch the access control vulnerability in ContactProvider.

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:= 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 the Android version on the 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 14.0 or 15.0 (any build within these major versions)
  2. Verify the Samsung Security Patch Level (SPL)
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than September 2025 (e.g., August 2025, July 2025, or older)
  3. Confirm the Samsung SMR update version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Baseband version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.sw' via ADB shell to check the SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version
    Affected if The SMR version is earlier than Sep-2025 Release 1 (for example, Aug-2025 or earlier) or the field is empty/unavailable on an Android 14/15 device
  4. Inspect ContactProvider permissions (if accessible)
    Use ADB to run 'dumpsys package com.android.providers.contacts' and examine the permissions section for ContactProvider, or check via Settings > Apps > ContactProvider > Permissions
    Affected if ContactProvider shows granted permissions that should require elevated authorization, or the component is exposed to untrusted apps without proper permission checks
  5. Check for the presence of the CVE-specific fix indicators
    Compare the device's contact provider APK version via 'pm list packages -f | grep contacts' then check the APK version, or verify the ContactProvider permissions have been tightened after the Sep-2025 update
    Affected if The ContactProvider component has not been updated to reflect the Sep-2025 security fix, or permissions remain at pre-patch configuration levels

The device is affected if it runs Android 14.0 or 15.0 and has not received the Samsung SMR September 2025 Release 1 security update, as the ContactProvider improper access control vulnerability remains unpatched.

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 Sep-2025 Release 1 or later security update to affected devices to patch the access control vulnerability in ContactProvider.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMR Sep-2025 Release 1

  1. Go to Settings on your Samsung device running Android 14.0 or 15.0
  2. Tap on 'Software update' or 'System update'
  3. Tap 'Download and install' to check for available updates
  4. Select the SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 update when available
  5. Wait for the update to download and complete installation
  6. Restart your device to ensure the security patch is fully applied

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,740
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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-2025-21033 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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